


Destiny

by Khandy_Raynne



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action/Adventure, Explicit Language, F/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-06-30 12:05:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 28
Words: 189,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15751326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khandy_Raynne/pseuds/Khandy_Raynne
Summary: Bulma is Frieza's brain. Vegeta is Frieza's brawn. Together they are Frieza's most dangerous weapons. When they meet, they begin to go through significant psychological and physical changes. Whether these changes are for better or for worse remains to be seen. [Edited on FFNet]





	1. Separate Lives

A lavender-haired teenager ran as fast as her legs could carry her through the corridors of a large ship. She shot a ray gun at the armored soldiers who tried to stop her. She continued running even after her lungs began to burn. She ran all the way until she came to what looked like a garage door. She pressed the button to open the large door. She leaned against the wall as the lights went out in the hallway. The red emergency lights soon flickered on just as the door opened enough for the girl to slide through.

She entered the hangar of the ship and glanced around quickly. It was almost completely devoid of any type of ships. She found one small space pod sitting off to the side. Footsteps could be heard from the hallway behind her. She turned and shot the lock on the door. It slid shut quickly. Putting the gun away, she ran to the lone space pod. The pod did not seem to be functional.

 _Shit! How is it possible that nothing in this damn hangar works_! The teenager tried her best to get it open. She looked up quickly as she heard the hangar's door being pried open. She began almost begging the pod to give a sign of any sort of life. The second it started, the hangar door was opened and soldiers flooded in. Before the space pod could close, a chubby pink hand yanked the teenager out by her neck and threw her to the metal floor.

"Thirty-three men," an effeminate, yet strangely masculine voice said. "That's a new record for you, Bulma."

The teenager, known as Bulma, simply smirked as she rubbed her neck. She glared up at the owner of the raspy voice. "You know me, Frieza. I only live to impress," she said. Her words earned a slap from the chubby pink hand.

"You will address Lord Frieza properly, girl!" a fat, pink, spiked blob with purple lips yelled down at her, spraying her with his saliva.

Bulma held her cheek, still feeling the sting of the slap. She could already imagine the enormous bruise that was starting to form. She heard footsteps coming towards her and looked up at the one known as Frieza. He was small and did not look intimidating in the least. However, Bulma could feel his powerful aura. She knew he was not to be messed with, but she paid that no mind.

"Dodoria, what have I said about striking her like that?" Frieza glared at Dodoria. The fat one straightened up immediately, mumbling his apologies. Frieza rolled his eyes and looked back down at Bulma. "Stand up, Bulma."

She begrudgingly got to her feet, spitting blood at Dodoria's feet. She smiled as he growled obscenities at her. Then Bulma turned her sight back on Frieza. She was only a little taller than him, but that was not saying much as she was in no way statuesque. She watched as his eyes raked over her body with intrigue.

"You do know how much I hate to punish you, don't you?" Frieza's eyes made it back up to her face.

Suddenly feeling dirty under his gaze, Bulma shrugged and crossed her arms. "I stopped caring long ago, Frieza. Nothing you do fazes me anymore."

Frieza simply smiled at her. He snapped his fingers and two guards grabbed Bulma by the arms. She already knew where she was headed. She would be taken down to the bowels of the ship, stripped bare, and hung by her arms. After that she would be sprayed with hot water until her skin was raw and then whipped. That was her punishment for trying to escape.

That was her life.

* * *

A small girl with hair that was as wild and unruly as her spirit was squatting over a curious sight. She was looking down at the body of one of the inhabitants of the planet. There was a hole blasted through the native's red head. From the looks of it, what had been inside this person's head was incinerated from the blast. The girl reached forward to touch the purple stuff that oozed around the sides of the hole. She'd seen plenty of dead bodies in her young life, but this particular species had the weirdest way of dying.

"Kinomi! Don't touch that! Who knows what kinds of diseases these creatures carry!" a gruff voice yelled from her left.

The girl stood up. "I just wanted to see what was inside, Nappa!" Kinomi crossed her arms and walked over to the much larger man, stepping carelessly on the dead bodies surrounding the area. He made her look smaller than she actually was. "Are we done here? These guys stink and my nose is starting to hurt."

Nappa sighed.  _Why did I get stuck babysitting today_? He watched Kinomi rub her nose. She was only 15 but she was a very competent fighter, if not a little careless. She literally had to have the sense beaten into her by her eldest brother.

"Come on, Kinomi. Let's regroup." Nappa took to the sky. The young girl followed after him.

As they flew, she did twists and turns around him while he just flew straight. She stopped right in front of him, nearly scaring him out of the sky. She just laughed and continued flying. Nappa rolled his eyes and followed after, growling low in his throat. They soon came to an area where eight circular pods had created eight separate craters. Four other people were already milling about the area. Nappa and Kinomi landed next to them.

"Hey, Nappa!"

"Kakarrot, do you always have to yell?"

"Well, I'm just happy to see him is all. You never know what could happen while we're separated, Raditz."

"Leave him alone, Raditz. Kakarrot's just a naturally caring guy."

"Don't take up for him, Chichi. You're just as bad."

"Hey! We can't all be bloodthirsty mongrels like you, Turles. I'll never understand how you and Raditz even come from the same gene pool as Kakarrot. Especially you, Turles. You're his identical twin. You have the exact same DNA. I guess you're just from the evil side of the uterus," the girl with a long black ponytail said. She was older than Kinomi and smiled when she saw the younger girl.

"And Kakarrot is from the stupid side," Turles shot back. He and Kakarrot were indeed identical, but were as different as night and day. Looks-wise, the only way one could tell them apart was their difference in skin tone; Turles was a bit more tan than Kakarrot. That and their dispositions were radically different. While Turles was a perpetual frowner, Kakarrot wore a smile most of the time and was not the sharpest tool in the shed.

"I'm telling you Kakarrot was dropped on his head as a baby, Chichi. That's the only plausible explanation," Raditz joked.

"I'm still here, guys," Kakarrot said. He turned his attention back to Nappa and Kinomi. "Vegeta's not with you two?"

Kinomi unfurled her tail from around her waist. "Obviously not. He's off somewhere with  _ **MY**_  twin; probably teaching the idiot how to make a proper kill," she said with a snort.

"Kinomi, you should not speak of your brothers in such a way," Nappa said sternly.

"Oh please, Nappa! We all know Tarble's hopeless. He's more interested in his machines and books than fighting. What good's that stuff gonna do for him?" she complained.

"A lot more good than running your trap will. One of you has to at least use your brain." A shadow appeared over Kinomi. She glanced over her right shoulder to see both her brothers descending. Both of them were taller than her, but still shorter than the rest of the Saiyans except Chichi. Both had hair that like hers; black hair that appeared almost brown in the light and that defied gravity, the only difference being that Kinomi had a lot more hair. The one who had spoken was the tallest and the oldest: Vegeta. Kinomi stuck her nose in the air and looked away from her brothers. Tarble walked over to the group while Vegeta stomped over to his own pod.

"How did it go, Tarble?" Chichi asked.

Tarble shrugged, glancing over at his brother. "Not too well, I suppose. Geta's a bit angry with me," he said quietly. He felt a hand go upside the back of his head and flinched. He glared over at his sister. "What was that for?" he yelled at her.

Kinomi crossed her arms. "Don't shrink up like that! If you messed up, so what? Geta isn't gonna kill you for that!" she yelled back.

"Hey!" Everyone turned to look at the man in question. "Shut up! Get in your pods! And you two, stop calling me that!" Vegeta glared at his younger brother and sister. Tarble nodded quickly and Kinomi stuck her tongue out at him.

Nappa walked over to Vegeta's pod as the group dispersed to head to their own pods. "Should I alert Frieza of our return?" he asked.

"Hn," Vegeta said as he sat down roughly in the space pod. Nappa walked away as the door began to close.

As the other seven pods took off into the sky, Vegeta crossed his arms. He always wanted to be the last off the planet. Nappa fought adamantly against it since he was still technically Vegeta's bodyguard. One look from the diminutive one settled that argument quickly enough.

Vegeta fashioned himself the leader of the Saiyans. They were the last eight of their race and he was their prince. He had Frieza to thank for that. Vegeta was not so blind as to know how his planet had come to be ashes and space dust. He was still young by normal standards; he was only three years older than his siblings. At 18, he was the most powerful Saiyan left alive.

And he was in the clutches of Frieza.

Frieza believed he had the Saiyans' loyalty. The elder prince had been on his very first mission as the tyrant destroyed his home planet. Somehow, Vegeta's father sent his youngest children along with the princess' playmate away, crammed uncomfortably in a space pod. The twins and Chichi had only been 3 when they were sent barreling out into space on their own. Whether it was by fate or sheer dumb luck, the single pod crashed into a planet Vegeta was purging along with Nappa and the three brothers. Even as a 5-year-old, Vegeta had the soul of an old man. He immediately understood that he had to look out for his siblings. That's exactly what he did.

Though Frieza did not like it, he saw the benefit in letting the three stowaway Saiyans live. If anything the galaxy's oppressor thought it beneficial that there were three more Saiyans he could add to his force. Plus, they were all so young and impressionable. They could be molded to be whatever he wanted them to be.

The prince would not allow that to happen. Vegeta was very cunning and smart. He had always had a penchant for mischief. He allowed Frieza to believe whatever he wanted to believe about the way the eight-man Saiyan detail worked. If Frieza wanted to believe he had eight loyal mercenaries, Vegeta would allow him to. In reality, Vegeta was simply biding his time. He did not know how long it would take, but until his own heart stopped beating he was going to do everything in his power to make sure Frieza's stopped first.

What Frieza did not realize was that Vegeta did not just command seven other people. He commanded thousands.

 _Time. All I need is time_ , the young prince thought as his ship pulled away from the planet's gravity.

"Geta, can you turn on the stasis now? I'm sleepy," Tarble's voice came in through his scouter.

Vegeta grunted his response. Usually Tarble could fall sleep by himself. Whenever he asked for stasis, something was usually bothering him. Vegeta pressed the button that controlled his pod's sleeping gas. He made a mental note to have Nappa talk to Tarble about whatever was troubling him. There would be no stasis sleep for Vegeta, though. He had more pressing matters to think about.

* * *

Bulma sat in a marble tub filled with water that was tinted blue from the various healing ointments put inside it. She stared straight ahead, hugging her knees to her chest. A handmaid sat outside the tub beside her. She was stirring a mixture of more ointments and salts. The maid took some into her palm. She looked at Bulma's blank face. Then the girl began rubbing the mixture on Bulma's back. Her back was covered in several bloody lashes from a whip. As the maid rubbed the ointment on Bulma's back, she noticed how Bulma did not even seem to notice.

"Miss, maybe it would be better if you stopped trying to escape. Being hurt like this cannot be good for the mind," the maid said quietly.

Bulma hummed low in her chest. She moved her vibrant lavender hair from her left shoulder to her right shoulder. The maid could see where, for whatever reason, there was a patch of hair missing. It was almost a perfect square. As long as she could remember being with Frieza, Bulma had always been missing her hair from that spot.

"Maybe he'll kill me one day. Maybe if I do something so awful that he can't overlook it, he'll finally just kill me," Bulma said quietly. "Do you think he would, Rika?"

Rika, the maid, sighed as she continued rubbing the ointment into Bulma's wounds. "Lord Frieza would never kill you, miss. Lord Frieza thinks of you as... special," she said.

Bulma let out a dry, scratchy laugh. "Special, huh? I think it's more like he sees me as a tool; a means to an end. I make him money, Rika. I keep him  _ **SAFE**_. That's all that matters to  _ **LORD**_  Frieza. He is no lord of mine," she said gruffly.

Rika sighed as she finished treating Bulma's wounds. She watched as the wounds began to close, leaving no traces that they were ever there. She stood and retrieved a bath towel. Bulma stood and allowed herself to be wrapped in it as she stepped out of the bath.

Bulma was a prisoner of the space tyrant Frieza. She had been taken from her home world of Aoi when she was only 5. That was right before Frieza destroyed her planet. Her people had tried to bargain with the evil overlord by giving Bulma over to him in exchange for their loyalty. Frieza agreed and took the little girl from them. Either to show Bulma how powerful he was or just because he felt like it, he destroyed her planet while Bulma watched.

She made a vow that day. As a 5-year-old, she vowed to kill Frieza and avenge her people. She did not know how she would do it. She did not know when she would do it. All she knew was that Frieza would pay with his life.

Bulma was not disgruntled at all by the punishment she had been dealt for trying to escape. She had lost count as to how many times she'd tried to escape during the past 13 years of her life. At 18, she was still determined as ever to get away from the man. She had actually made it to another planet on her second attempt. However, it was planet that was firmly in Frieza's grasp. She'd been turned over faster than she could climb out of the space pod she'd stolen.

She smirked to herself.  _That beating had been particularly severe. I wonder what got him so mad about that_ , she thought. The planet had appeared to be like a cold planet. She'd later learned that the planet was Frieza's distant relative's home world. It had been the worst possible planet for her to escape to. The people there were just as bloodthirsty as Frieza was.

Bulma had long ago realized that Frieza would never kill her. He would beat her so badly that her vision would run red, but he would never strike her to kill her. She'd come to realize that Frieza needed her. She was extremely valuable to him. Anyone who made Frieza a lot of money was valuable and indispensable. Bulma had a gift that was both troublesome and beneficial. It was a gift that if in the wrong hands could be very dangerous.

It was most definitely in the  _ **WRONG**_  hands.

"Miss?" Rika's voice interrupted Bulma's thoughts.

"Yes, Rika?"

"Would you like anything else?"

"No. You may go." Bulma slipped into a white nightie and got under her covers. It was not nearly late enough for her to retire, but she wanted to be alone for the rest of the night. She heard Rika turn out the light and leave the room quietly. From then on, Bulma tried to sleep.

* * *

"That girl will be the death of me," Frieza said while rubbing his temples. He was watching his soldiers clear the dead victims of Bulma away. "I treat her with nothing but care and she constantly pulls tricks like this. Perhaps if I just chain her to a wall in the cells of the ship she'll finally become more obedient."

"That is a good idea, Lord Frieza. Maybe a week in anything less than the luxury you give her will smarten her up. Show her what she's being saved from," Zarbon, Frieza's right-hand, suggested.

Frieza shook his head. "Such a thing could break the girl. Her mind is much too precious to be tampered with. Besides, now that these resistance groups have been popping up out of the woodwork, I need her talents in order to flush them out. I think she realizes that she's indispensable and she's grown bolder than ever at that knowledge. Teenagers..." Frieza groaned.

Zarbon took note of how much Frieza sounded like an annoyed parent when it came to Bulma. He knew his master well enough to know that he cared not for the girl herself, but rather for the valued ability she possessed. There was only one other Frieza favored as he did Bulma. As far as Zarbon was concerned, that person was the bane of his existence.

That person was the Saiyan prince, Vegeta.

"By the way, has Vegeta and his ragtag group reported back in, Zarbon?" Frieza asked almost as an afterthought.

 _Speak of the devil_ , Zarbon thought with a roll of his eyes.

"The last time I spoke with Nappa, he said they were on their way back from their latest mission."

Frieza quirked an eye. "Really? The Cronian System easily had six large planets that needed purging. How is it that they have finished already? It's only been a week. I daresay I'm a little impressed. The people in that area are not exactly lightweights," he said.

Zarbon frowned. He hated whenever Frieza gave the Saiyans any sort of praise. As far as he was concerned, every one of them was scum. He stopped and thought for a moment.  _Well, that one female isn't too bad to look at_. He pictured the only female Saiyan he'd seen in recent years. She was loud and bossy as well as possibly insane. She also seemed to have most of the Saiyans under her thumb.

"Let me know when they arrive, Zarbon. Once they do, get this ship moving. I'm going to retire to my chambers for now."

"Yes, my lord."


	2. First Sight

Eating was Bulma's least favorite thing to do. It was not because she hated food. That was quite the opposite, actually. The reason she despised eating was because she only did it in one of two places: in Frieza's presence or in a mess hall filled with Frieza's ogling men. The mess hall had not bothered her so much when she was a kid, but by the time she was 14 she had the body of a woman. Four years of being ogled like a piece of meat was not her idea of luxury dining. Neither was sitting across from Frieza and listening to his small talk.

The teenager sat across from Frieza, moving her food around her plate. Although her wounds had healed, her body was still very sore. The medicine also tended to make her body feel ten times heavier than it really was.

"I have a surprise for you, Bulma," Frieza said suddenly, bringing Bulma out of her drug-induced trance. She raised her eyes slowly from her plate and looked at him. Confident he had her attention, Frieza spoke again. "We'll be stopping at Axl to pick up some more supplies. I'll let you go down with supervision if you promise to behave."

Bulma raised a lavender eyebrow. "How do you know I just won't bolt on you?" she asked. She watched Frieza chuckle has he picked up his knife and sliced into the bloody piece of flesh on his plate. "What's so...  _ **AAAHHHH**_!" Bulma yelled as Frieza stabbed her hand with the bloody knife.

"You won't if you value your sanity," Frieza said. He roughly pulled the knife out, causing Bulma to inhale sharply from the pain. She held her hand close to her chest as blood seeped from it. "Come and collect her. Make sure it gets healed thoroughly. I wouldn't want that skin to be scarred."

Rika immediately scurried forward and gathered up Bulma. She was quickly losing consciousness from the sudden drop in blood pressure. The last thing Bulma would remember is seeing Frieza smiling at her while taking another sip of his wine.

Frieza's eyes widened considerably as the glass he was holding shattered between his fingers. The red liquid stained the pink tablecloth.  _What the hell was that? I didn't know I was holding the glass so tight_. Shrugging it off, he called for someone to clean the mess as Zarbon walked in.

"What is it, Zarbon?" Frieza asked tiredly.

"The Saiyans have returned, my lord." Zarbon stood stiffly as he watched his master smile.

"Good. Tell Vegeta I want a progress report," Frieza said while cutting back into the red flesh on his plate.

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

Kakarrot was yawning as he stepped out of his pod. "That was a good nap," he said as he looked around. He noticed Chichi getting out of her pod. She looked groggily up at him before rolling her eyes. "What?"

Chichi adjusted her shorts and armor on her body. "I hate coming out of stasis. I always feel so nauseous afterwards. I don't know how you can just shrug it off."

"Stop complaining, Chichi," Turles said as he and Raditz came up behind her. Tarble and Nappa were coming up from behind Kakarrot.

The group hushed when Vegeta came from the other side of the hangar. Kinomi was walking behind him. When they reached the group, Kinomi stayed close to her older brother. She avoided looking around her at the other soldiers and kept her eyes trained on her compatriots.

"Go to your rooms. We'll meet in Kinomi's room later on tonight. I received some useful news on the way here," Vegeta said. Everyone nodded and headed for the exit. Before they got there the door slid open, revealing Zarbon.

"Just the monkey I wanted to see," Zarbon said.

Kinomi clenched her fists together. She stepped past her brother and glared at Zarbon. "You take that back!" she yelled. Chichi pulled her backwards before she could continue advancing on Zarbon.

Zarbon raised an eyebrow. "So there's more than one Saiyan female? Funny how I only thought there was one all these years." He looked at Chichi and then back to Kinomi. "You all look the same anyway."

"State your business, Zarbon," Vegeta cut in, sounding impatient already.

"Lord Frieza demands a progress report. Now." Zarbon turned and left, giving Kinomi one more glance before disappearing back out the door. Vegeta glared at his younger sister once Zarbon was gone. Kinomi folded her arms and looked away from him. Shaking his head, Vegeta went in a different direction from them.

* * *

Bulma hurried down the hallway of the flagship. After her hand had been healed, she was told to get dressed and go to Frieza's "conference" room. There was only one reason she was being called to that particular room. Frieza was about to speak with someone who could possibly be a troublemaker; someone who could possibly betray him or had already done so. He needed Bulma there to affirm his suspicions. Whatever she said affected whether this person would leave the room alive or not.

 _I'm like a harbinger of death_ , she thought morosely as she turned a corner. She came into contact with something that felt like a steel wall. Her petite body lost the battle and she fell backwards.  _What the hell_? Bulma looked up.

The first thing she noticed was the flaming black hair that defied the laws of gravity. The second thing she noticed was the narrow obsidian eyes that glowered down at her as if she was in the wrong for being knocked down. The last thing she noticed was that despite the scowl he was giving her, he was kind of handsome.

"Aren't you going to help me up?" Bulma asked. A snort was her reply. The short man simply stepped over Bulma and continued on his way. Rolling her eyes, Bulma sighed and got to her feet. "Asshole!" she yelled after him.

* * *

Vegeta blinked when he heard the scantily-clad, lavender-haired nymph yell back at him. He whirled, ready to give her a piece of his mind. She was already gone.  _Stupid wench. Probably one of Frieza's whores. She better hope she never sees me again_ , he thought as he continued in the opposite direction. He had to make a call before he went to see Frieza. He headed to the place where he usually made his calls: Zarbon's quarters.

* * *

Bulma entered Frieza's conference room. She silently made her way over to Frieza and sat on the cushion beside his hovering chair. As usual, she felt like she was on display. Her outfit did not make her any more comfortable. A white tunic that barely reached her mid-thigh and was nearly see-through wasn't exactly something she would wear out of her room.

"Nice to see that you've made it, Bulma." Frieza looked down at her. "Let me see your hand," he said. Bulma raised her hand so that he could see it. The tyrant nodded and she lowered her arm and folded her hands in her lap.

Bulma took the time to see who Frieza would be interrogating today. She had never seen any of the aliens that stood before her. They all appeared somewhat nervous, but that was to be expected. Bulma never really saw anyone besides Frieza, Zarbon, and Rika unless she went to the mess hall on the ship. Even when Frieza docked on planets, rarely was she allowed off of the ship. One thing Bulma also noticed was that Frieza hardly ever interrogated the same soldiers twice. Even when she could sense no pretense in who Frieza interrogated, she never saw them again.

 _I suppose he kills them just for making him waste his oh-so-precious time_ , Bulma mused with a roll of her eyes. She barely noticed that Frieza had begun speaking. She immediately looked towards the soldier Frieza was addressing.

* * *

Vegeta entered the conference room. He stopped and stood in the shadows of the room. Frieza had already begun to question some other soldiers. Folding his arms, Vegeta simply leaned against the wall and watched the proceedings.

The soldier was attempting to explain some strange activity happening in an area where he was sent to purge over two years ago. Apparently, the job had not been completed. Frieza wanted to know why this was. The soldier explained that he was sure his team had completed their purging and that the system should still be vacant and ready for sale.

Vegeta resisted the urge to smirk. The system Frieza was inquiring about was one he definitely knew a little about. However, Frieza did not need to know that.

Frieza drummed his fingers on the side of his chair. "Well, you sound like you're telling the truth. You should also hope for your sake, and your team's, that you are not lying," he said. He glanced down at the lavender-haired girl beside him. "Bulma?"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He stepped forward so that he could see around the group of men ahead of him. On the other side of Frieza sat the girl he'd run into earlier. She was staring straight ahead and seemingly through the soldier that had been speaking.

 _What's she doing in here_?

* * *

Bulma finally blinked after a solid minute. "He speaks the truth, Lord Frieza," she said calmly. She could tell that Frieza was not pleased in the least to hear that. However, Bulma had never been wrong about anything else so far. She planned to keep her perfect record the same.

"So he does, does he?" Frieza had sincerely been hoping he would get to kill someone. He could still kill the soldiers before him, but it served his purpose better if there was some reason behind it.

 _Well, I_ _ **AM**_ _bored_ , he thought as he raised his hand. Before the soldiers could even react, they had been vaporized.

Bulma did not even flinch at Frieza's split-second massacre. She had seen him do far worse and as far as she was concerned, that particular group had been lucky. Frieza seemed to in a relatively good mood. Usually, he preferred to take his time. After all, killing wasn't fun if it was all over in less than a second.

"Come forward, Vegeta," Frieza said.

Bulma looked up. She had only heard of  _Vegeta_. For the entire 13 years she lived under Frieza, she had known that he existed. However, she never saw him before this. He also seemed to be in Frieza's favor quite often like her. And also like her, he seemed to get into just as much trouble. So when  _Vegeta_  stepped out of the shadows and made his presence known, Bulma's eyes widened a bit.

 _It's the asshole from the hall_. She narrowed her eyes a bit at him. Then something occurred to her.  _Why didn't I feel his presence? I should've known he was back there. Come to think of it, that's probably why I ran into him. I couldn't sense him_.

* * *

Vegeta watched the lavender-haired girl glare at him with a mixture of confusion and irritation. From what he just witnessed, he could tell that  _ **SHE**_  was how Frieza seemingly knew everything. It was not that Frieza was the deity that he claimed to be. It was that he had someone who could easily be mistaken for one under his wing.  _This complicates matters_ , he thought idly. He took his eyes off of the girl and looked at Frieza. He inclined his head slightly.

Frieza smirked. Vegeta never bowed to him. The most Frieza got was a lackadaisical nod of his head and even then it looked more like Vegeta was simply nodding in response to a question. The evil being decided long ago that he would give Vegeta that simple freedom. "I see you've finished your assignment early. I thought it would've taken a far longer amount of time for you to clear the Cronian System. Dare I say I'm impressed with your efficiency, Vegeta," Frieza said.

 _As you should be_  was what Vegeta was thinking of saying in regards to Frieza's backhanded praise. Instead he simply inclined his head again. "The planets and satellites have been cleared of all sentient life. I already sent for a clean-up crew to get the system ready for resale. None of my team was injured during the purge. We are now waiting for your next orders, Frieza," Vegeta said mechanically. Although he was looking at Frieza, he could still feel the girl staring at him. Tiring of her staring, he shot her a hard glance.

Bulma jumped when Vegeta caught her looking at him. She immediately looked down at her hands and away from him. She heard Frieza chuckle and looked up at him.

"Oh! How rude of me!" Frieza motioned down to Bulma. "Vegeta, this is Bulma. Bulma is from Aoi and the last of her kind. Bulma, this is the great Prince of Saiyans, Vegeta. Although Vegeta is not the last of his kind, there's only seven others like him."

Both Bulma and Vegeta gave Frieza scathing glares. The lizard-like being did not seem to notice them. If he did, he simply pretended he did not see them. Bulma looked back at Vegeta. She knew the look he had on his face. It was a look she had seen on herself quite often as she grew up under Frieza. It was the look of pure, unadulterated hatred.

 _Frieza destroyed both of our worlds_. Bulma squinted slightly.  _This doesn't make any sense. Why can't I even sense his presence? I know he's there but all I'm getting is Frieza and Dodoria's fat ass just outside the door. I've never had this problem before_. She was growing frustrated with this situation.

"Vegeta, Zarbon told me that there is another Saiyan in your midst. He said there was another female. You're not keeping anything from me, are you?" Frieza asked as he examined his nails.

Vegeta crossed his arms and snorted. "No, there isn't. Zarbon simply did not recognize Kinomi," he said.

Frieza appeared interested. "Oh? So the little one has changed in appearance or something?" he asked. "Bring her to me." It was not a request at all.

Vegeta bit his lip. "At this moment?" He watched Frieza nod and wave his hand. Vegeta turned on his heel and left the room, making sure to make as much noise as possible while leaving.

Bulma almost breathed a sigh of relief as Vegeta left.  _I'm glad Frieza did not ask me to read anything off of him. Vegeta must be very loyal for Frieza not to question anything he does_. She started to stand.

"And where do you think you're going?" Frieza asked. Bulma sighed and resumed her position beside him. They sat in silence for 10 minutes before Vegeta came back, dragging another person along with him.

Bulma had to blink. They did not resemble each other much aside from their similar eyes and hairstyle. The only difference was that the girl's hair, while it stood up, also fell down around her shoulders. Some of the hair that did not frame her face or stand straight up was pulled into a long braid down her back. It was an odd hairstyle and gave the girl an exotic look. She still had baby fat in her face. She was petite and her build was very athletic. While Vegeta was not tall in any sense of the word, this girl was even shorter. Unlike Vegeta, she did not wear any armor but only the bodysuit that went under it.

 _Well, if you call that a bodysuit. Why is she missing one sleeve and one pant leg_? Bulma wondered about the girl's odd outfit. There was indeed no left sleeve and no right pant leg.

"Well, the little one has indeed grown up," Frieza said.

Kinomi wrenched her arm out of her brother's grasp as Frieza called her that ridiculous nickname. She crossed her arms over her chest in attempt to shield her bosom from Frieza's lust-filled eyes. "Why do you want to see me, Lord Frieza?"

Bulma stared at the girl.  _I can feel her, but I still can't feel Vegeta. I know I'm not losing it. What is it about him_? She also got another feeling as she tried to block out Kinomi's thoughts. The small girl was not afraid. She was the furthest thing from it. She was angry.

"So like your brother, little one." Frieza paused to think. He looked down at Bulma. "I have a new assignment for you, little one."

The princess raised a dark eyebrow. "Assignment?"

"Yes. You see Bulma here is in need of a bodyguard. I can't be around her all the time. Someone like you could easily watch over her from the nasty ones that roam the cosmos," Frieza said.

Kinomi turned her narrow gaze towards Bulma. "She can't take care of herself? I didn't think you'd keep people around that couldn't handle themselves; much less women. I'm no one's babysitter. I belong out in the field with my comrades," she said, turning her gaze back to Frieza.

Frieza simply chuckled. "Little one, Bulma is far from being able to take care of herself. Just a few days ago, she managed to single-handedly take down thirty-three men. What she lacks in brute strength she more than makes up for with mental strength," he said.

His words caused both Vegeta and Kinomi to examine Bulma again. It was then that they both really  _ **LOOKED**_  at her. She was small and petite, but not nearly as tiny as Kinomi. She had big, glassy cerulean eyes. Her hair was a curious shade of lavender. What was strange was that her hair seemed to be changing color from the roots; aqua to lavender. The effect was ethereal. Nothing about her said  _powerful_ , yet by the way she carried herself the two Saiyans could tell she was a tough one. She had to be in order to still be alive under Frieza.

Feeling their piercing gazes on her, Bulma looked up and glared at them. She hated when Frieza made her the center of attention. She got to her feet and looked at Frieza. "I don't like being talked around, Frieza," she said. "I don't need someone to take care of me, either."

Both Vegeta and Kinomi were a little stunned at how freely she addressed the evil being. She also did not seem too afraid of him like others. Only Vegeta had ever ventured into the realm of addressing Frieza as anything other than  _Lord Frieza_  or  _my lord_.

"Why so angry, child? Besides, you do need a  _chaperone_  when we get to Axl. Unless you'd rather Dodoria accompany you down to the planet..." Frieza's voice trailed off. He knew Bulma hated to be anywhere near Dodoria. "Now sit back down."

 _Asshole_ , Bulma thought as she sat back down with a huff. She turned her gaze away from the Saiyans and stared out the window to her left. She could see a gray, sullen planet coming into view. She knew that to be Axl. As she stared at it, she heard Frieza talking with the Saiyans again. But, she focused on the planet as it drew closer.

Vegeta was barely listening to Kinomi give Frieza all the various reasons why she should be allowed to stay with her kin and not "babysit some porcelain doll." Instead, he was discreetly watching the lavender-haired girl. The frown in her face had relaxed and now her face seemed almost... angelic. He could tell that although she was hardened from her situation, she was still very delicate.

"Little one, it is no longer up for discussion. You will move your things into the spare room in Bulma's quarters. You are to be with her day and night. You will obey her every order. You will fend off anyone who dares to touch her," Frieza said, cutting off Kinomi in mid-sentence. "If anyone so much as lays a hand on her, I will kill them and then I will punish you. Do I make myself clear?"

Kinomi bit the inside of her cheek. It was something Tarble had suggested she do when she felt the need to say something that was less than respectful. Instead of speaking, she nodded and crossed her arms. She looked over in Bulma's direction to see her not even paying attention.

"You are dismissed," Frieza said with a wave of his hand. He watched the tiny teenager stalk off before turning his attention back to Vegeta. "Your next mission will be given to you by Zarbon later on. Until then, you are free to do as you please. The rest of your herd will be given duties around the ship. I will see that Dodoria gives them chores."

Vegeta simply grunted his response. He looked at Bulma once more. Her eyes met his completely for the first time. Something changed in him as he stared into her blue eyes. It was as if a switch had been flipped in his body. It felt almost like he was siphoning some sort of weird power from her. She did not seem affected, but rather intrigued. Before anything could be said, Frieza's voice cut through the air, breaking their connection.

"Bulma, you had better get ready. We'll be docking in Axl within the hour."

In the time it took Bulma to blink, Vegeta was gone. She looked up at Frieza before standing and dusting herself off. Without a word, she retreated back to her chambers where Rika waited for her.

* * *

Vegeta managed to make it back to the Saiyans' quarters before he collapsed onto his bed. He could hear his sister a few rooms down, cursing and throwing things around. His mind was not on that, though. He was thinking about the woman named Bulma. She barely registered when it came to ki. He had never even noticed her before. Now, he could sense exactly where she was. It was as if her ki had always been familiar to him. Shaking off these strange feelings and thoughts, Vegeta sat up and began to think seriously.  _Now that I know how Frieza gets his information, it would be best to see exactly what she's worth_ , he thought. The prince stood and walked out of his room and towards the whirlwind known as Kinomi.

The young Saiyan princess was throwing one of her trademark tantrums. Besides Vegeta, only Kakarrot was physically more powerful than she was. However, he would not go near Kinomi when she was angry. The only people who could even attempt to talk her down were Tarble and Chichi. The only one who could put her down was Vegeta.

The elder prince grabbed the princess from behind, pulling her into a full nelson. She struggled for a few moments before relaxing in his grip. "Have you calmed yourself?" Vegeta asked.

"Yes. Let me go now," Kinomi growled. Vegeta released his sister roughly, sending her stumbling forward. Kinomi rounded on him quickly, rubbing her left shoulder. "What do you want, Geta?"

Vegeta chose to ignore both her tone and the ridiculous nickname. "I have a job for you," he said.

"Pfft! Haven't you heard? Frieza's already gotten me a new job." Kinomi stalked past him and continued throwing her assorted bodysuits and armor into a bag. "I've gotta go watch over the pretty little doll. I'm a warrior! Not a babysitter!" With a roar, she tossed one bag to the side and began piling more articles of clothing into the next bag.

Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just keep a close eye on the woman. She's important to Frieza," he said.

Kinomi rolled her eyes. "That's what Frieza said, idiot."

"Did it ever occur to you why she's important?" Vegeta asked. Kinomi stopped moving and looked at him. "She has some sort of ability that allows her to see pretense."

Nappa stepped up to Vegeta's side. "She can tell if someone's lying?"

Vegeta nodded. "I think her abilities are more than that. Kinomi, keep the woman safe but try to get information on her powers. If she proves to be a liability, we'll find a way to do away with her." He watched Kinomi gather up her bags.

"Whatever you say, Geta."

* * *

Bulma sat on the couch in her sitting room. She was waiting for Kinomi. If the feisty Saiyan was going to be following her around, Bulma could at least extend the courtesy of attempting to get on her good side.  _Saiyans don't seem all that friendly to begin with. Might as well give it a try, though_ , the lavender-haired teenager thought.

A brisk knock came at Bulma's door. Rika hurried to open it. The door slid open to reveal a very annoyed-looking Saiyan teenager. Kinomi took a step into the room and looked around. Her dark brown eyes landed on Bulma. "So?"

Bulma blinked and stood up. "Your room is over there." She pointed to the open door to her right. Kinomi looked to her left and snorted. She walked towards the room without a word.

The Saiyan warrior princess was a bit impressed with her new quarters. It was much larger than the small quarters she shared with Chichi. She tossed her bags on the neatly made bed with red sheets. With a nod, she turned around to see Bulma standing behind her. The older girl almost looked shy. "Yeah?" Kinomi asked, trying not to sound annoyed. She was failing horribly.

"I know you don't want to be here. Frieza doesn't ever seem to listen to a word I say." Bulma paused a moment. "Well, that's not entirely true. He listens to what I say if it benefits him. Anyway, I just don't really want us to start off on the wrong foot. I think a formal introduction is in order. I'm Bulma." Bulma held her hand out.

Kinomi looked down at Bulma's outstretched hand. With a small smirk, she shook it. "Kinomi." She watched the older girl smile shyly at her.


	3. Axl

Vegeta was one of the first people off the flagship when it docked on Axl. He immediately turned his scouter off and headed towards the city of Digm. As the only port on Axl, Digm was a very busy city. The streets were always crowded and the businesses were always booming. It was no wonder Frieza used this city as a place to refuel and restock his ships when he was away from Frieza Planet 1.

The prince walked all the way to the inner city where there was the greatest concentration of people. He went inside what appeared to be a tavern of some sort. Inside, it was dark and smoky. It was a crowded place and very loud. Vegeta took a seat at a booth and waited. An alien waitress came over and handed him a drink as well as what looked like an earpiece. Vegeta put the earpiece on and took a sip of his drink.

"Nectar ale. Don't expect any thanks," Vegeta said as he relaxed in his seat. He heard an annoyed sigh in the earpiece.

" _Why would I ever expect common courtesy from you? If I did, I'd be waiting until my dying day and even then I doubt I would receive gratitude from you_ ," a warped voice said. It was hard to tell if the speaker was male or female.

"Whatever. Do you have anything useful to report to me?" Vegeta asked.

" _I received a few new files from the bases in the Gaian and Helios systems. I'll forward them to you. They were marked as confidential, so I assume they have some helpful information on anything Frieza might be planning. Also, I'm getting word that Frieza is suspicious of the activities in the Jovian System. I'm thinking we should relocate before we draw any more suspicion_ ," the voice said.

"I've also heard that. I just witnessed Frieza's interrogation of the group who was in charge of purging the system. Relocation would be wise. I suggest going to a planet within Frieza's territory."

" _That wouldn't be very conducive to our plans, would it?_ "

"It might sound cliché, but what better place to work against Frieza than right under his nose?"

" _Don't you think that's a bit audacious?_ "

Vegeta snorted and took a sip of his ale. "I'm sure it is. That's the thing you must understand about Frieza. He'd never think that someone would have the  _audacity_  to defy him within his own borders. Besides, at the rate he's acquiring planets and systems for the PTO, there will be no other place to hide soon," he replied.

" _Allow me to remind you that you are also part of that problem, Vegeta. How do you expect to garner support if you are seen purging these planets without a second thought_?"

"I'm not looking to make friends. I'm looking for people who want what I want," Vegeta said simply. "I have other news, but I'd rather not say it over this line. I'll need to see you in person to relay it. I can't have it being overheard at any cost."

" _Well that sounds good. I'll make arrangements. Where is your next assignment?_ "

"I don't know yet. I'll send word once I find out." Vegeta ended the call abruptly. He removed the earpiece and crushed it in his palm. He had to take every precaution when it came to his rebellion.

As he continued to sip his ale, his mind drifted back to the lavender-haired woman. She was definitely a wildcard. If Frieza ever did grow suspicious of him, all he had to do was get Bulma to read him like a book. He did not know how to counteract such a power.  _She is definitely problematic. Yet, I can't just kill her, especially not if Kinomi is supposed to be her caretaker. If anything were to happen with the woman she'd be blamed and punished for it_ , he thought.

What puzzled Vegeta the most was the feeling he got when their eyes had met. He did not know what she did to him, but after that tingly feeling had passed, he went to beat up on one of his subordinates. Never had he felt stronger. The feeling had worn off, though. He found himself wanting to talk to the woman himself, if only just to see what it was she could do. "Better to leave that to Kinomi. It doesn't seem like the woman would spend that much time in my presence willingly."

* * *

Bulma walked alongside Kinomi as they left Frieza's flagship. She reflexively coughed as she breathed in the air of Axl. After months of breathing in the stale, recycled air on the ship, breathing in unfiltered air was something she had to get used to. It also didn't help that the air in Digm was pretty polluted.

"So, what do you want to do?" Kinomi asked. She crossed her arms and looked back at Bulma. The older girl was looking around in wonder. Rolling her eyes, Kinomi started to walk. Bulma was forced to catch up with her. "Let's go to the marketplace. Did Frieza give you any money to spend?" she asked.

"Of course. But I don't want to spend  _my_ money yet." Bulma reached into the pocket of the hooded coat she wore. She pulled out a wad of cash with a devious smile. "Being a skilled pickpocket has its advantages. I'm sure Zarbon and Dodoria won't miss this money."

Kinomi smirked at Bulma. "Not bad, Blue," she said.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. " _Blue_?"

"Your eyes. I haven't come across many people with blue eyes before. Red, pink, purple, black, brown... Not many blue-eyed people." Kinomi began walking again. Bulma fell into step beside her. "Don't worry. It's a compliment, Blue."

Bulma nodded as they continued to walk. She assumed that was Kinomi's way of saying she was pretty. The two walked through the crowded streets in silence most of the time. Every now and then, Bulma would stop and look at something in a store or under a tent.

Kinomi stared at Bulma as she looked at some jewelry.  _She seems pretty easily amused. I've also seen only one other person haggle better than she does_ , she thought with a smirk. Vegeta was the best haggler she knew. She watched Bulma waltz back over to her with a triumphant smile adorning her face.

"This is worth ten thousand credits. I got it down to two thousand." Bulma slipped the blue jewel around her neck. "Isn't it gorgeous?" She held it up to the light.

"Charming," Kinomi said in a tired voice. "Anything else?"

Bulma shrugged. "Well, are you hungry?" She heard Kinomi chuckle. "What?"

"Sure, I'm hungry," Kinomi replied.

"Then let's eat. I'm buying."

Bulma's Saiyan bodyguard raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah! Come on!" Bulma grabbed Kinomi's hand and dragged her back into the marketplace.

* * *

Vegeta was making his way back to the flagship when he saw her. She was easy to spot in the crowd. With hair the color of the fabled lavender plant and skin as fair as a pearl, it was hard for Bulma to hide in the crowd. She stood out against the drab colors of the marketplace like a beacon of light. He saw she was dragging Kinomi through the crowd. The little Saiyan princess looked less than pleased but at the same time she seemed amused by the much more fragile being she was being manhandled by.

"Hey Vegeta!" Kakarrot came barreling towards the smaller prince. Vegeta glared at him once and Kakarrot slowed down before he ran into the prince. He was carrying a few black bags. "I got us some supplies."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?"

"Chichi said we needed medical supplies so I got some antiseptics and bandages. She also said she needed some new sheets because she doesn't trust the ones on the ship; something about making her itch. Also some thread to..."

Vegeta tuned Kakarrot out. He looked back out at the crowd at the last place he saw Bulma and Kinomi. He could barely see the top of her head as it disappeared around a corner. He sighed.  _Kinomi, remember your orders_.

* * *

Kinomi blinked as her brother's voice registered in her mind. She narrowed her eyes. She was never very good at telepathy. She knew it only worked over short distances, so that meant Vegeta was somewhere where he could see them.  _I won't forget, Geta. Just let me handle this in my own way_ , she returned.

 _Just remember_. Vegeta severed the connection.

Ahead of Kinomi, Bulma stopped walking as they came to a rather crowded restaurant. Biting her lip, she released Kinomi's hand and faced her. "Do you like Bellatrisian food?" All she got as an answer was a shrug. "Well, let's eat. Order me some miesul and you can order whatever you want." Bulma handed Kinomi her credits card.

Kinomi slowly took the card. "You're awfully trusting. You sure you have enough credits on this thing?" she asked.

"I've gotten a weekly allowance of five thousand credits since I was taken by Frieza. I rarely leave that ship. I'm pretty sure I could acquire several of my own planets by now," Bulma said. She turned around and went in search of somewhere to sit.

The Saiyan princess watched her leave for a moment, pondering her words.  _Frieza sure has spoiled her. Then again, he gives Vegeta a larger salary than that. But it's bi-monthly, not weekly_ , she thought. Shrugging, she headed to the counter to order the food.

Bulma found a table near the back windows of the restaurant. Something concerned her about Kinomi. Although she had not meant to pry, she had heard Kinomi conversing with someone mentally. Bulma would have been able to hear it regardless if she was paying attention, but because she was making contact with Kinomi while the conversation was going on, she heard both ends. It was the other voice was also talking to her. The other voice she heard was Vegeta's.

"So he's concerned about Kinomi's  _mission_. I wonder what this  _mission_  is," Bulma mused aloud as she watched Kinomi at the counter. She also noticed some much larger men sitting and looking at Kinomi. The thoughts they were having were less than pleasant. Besides being downright perverted, some of them were very violent. Apparently, Saiyans were not very well-liked. Bulma decided to keep an eye on them. She would rather not be involved in an altercation on her first free day out in years.

"Yo!" Kinomi snapped in Bulma's face. The blue-eyed wonder looked up at her. "Thought I'd lost you for a second there."

Bulma watched as Kinomi sat an enormous tray on the round table she sat at. She recognized the purple noodle-like dish as her miesul. The rest of the food was pretty much the rest of the menu. She briefly wondered how Kinomi carried the tray all by herself, but then she remembered what species Kinomi was. "Why'd you get so much food?"

Kinomi tossed Bulma's credits card back to her and sat down across from her. "Why'd you get so little?" That was all Kinomi said before she began eating.

It was a bit disturbing watching Kinomi eat. She shoveled food into her mouth. After only five minutes, she'd polished off three of the fifteen dishes on the tray. Bulma had barely made it a fourth of the way through her food. After fifteen minutes, Bulma was half done and full while Kinomi was finishing off the fourteenth dish. Bulma noted that for the amount of food she was eating and the pace at which she was eating it, Kinomi was actually getting all the food in her mouth. There was not a misplaced crumb in sight.

"Are you going to finish that?" Kinomi asked as she finished the last plate.

"Um, no." Bulma passed the rest of her food to her bodyguard. She also noted that Kinomi did not think as she ate. Not a single thought passed through her mind except the command of  _EAT_. However, Kinomi was also very aware of her surroundings at the same time. They did not receive her full attention, but Bulma could tell she knew when someone was staring at them. It was a strange phenomenon to somehow simultaneously think and  _NOT_  think. The blue-eyed beauty would chalk it up to military training for the time being.

Bulma's concentration on Kinomi was broken when she noticed some of the large aliens moving towards them. She stiffened while Kinomi went on ignoring them. Her pace had slowed though. Coherent thoughts began to enter her mind again and Bulma knew she was now concentrating more on her surroundings. She was not tense, but she was prepared to defend herself.

One of the alien men put a large hand down on the table right in front of the plate Kinomi ate from. She did not acknowledge him or flinch. Instead, she reached for the pitcher of red liquid that she'd been using to wash down her meal. She gave Bulma a small glance before continuing to drink.

 _I suppose that means I should be ready to take cover if things get ugly_ , Bulma thought. She looked at the large man in front of Kinomi. He had pale skin that had a green tint to it. It also looked like he had scales at some points. He only had four fingers and he was extremely tall. Standing, both she and Kinomi would look like children before him. His friends were not much smaller, but they were still rather large and intimidating. _And this could get really ugly_.

"You're a Saiyan, aren't you?" the large alien asked.

Kinomi put her pitcher down. "Do I look Saiyan?"

"Yeah, you do."

"Well then I guess I am a Saiyan. What's it to you?"

The large man placed his other hand down, causing everything on the table to jump slightly. Bulma herself jumped, clearly startled by his actions. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. He was very angry and his anxious about something. Bulma looked back at Kinomi, who seemed highly unconcerned with the situation she found herself in.

"You and your kind destroyed my race. We," the man gestured to his friends, "are all that is left. Six of us. That's all that's left of a planet of nearly ten billion."

"Is that so? What planet was this? Was it a blue planet or a red planet? Did it have any suns? Was it destroyed or just... ethnically cleansed? You'll have to be specific. In my line of work, it's very hard to keep track of what planets  _my kind_  tends to," Kinomi retorted.

The young Saiyan's harsh words only served to make the man's anger rise. His green-tinted skin was starting to flush with purple. Bulma knew what his next actions would be without even reading him. On the other hand, Kinomi's mind was clear as a bell. She thought of only one thing:  _DEFEND_.

And that's exactly what Kinomi did.

The large alien attacked Kinomi. She grabbed his fist while simultaneously standing. With her free hand, she pushed the table down, causing it to flip upwards. Bulma fell back in her chair to avoid getting hit with the table. Kinomi had obviously done it to shield her from whatever was about to come. Bulma looked around from her position behind the table. The restaurant was clearing out pretty fast. The other patrons seemed to be well-versed in bar fight protocol. Bulma's eyes widened when she saw one of the men go flying over the table. She scooted back up underneath it.

 _What the hell? How strong is she_?

* * *

Vegeta stopped just as he was about to get on the ship. He could feel Kinomi's power spiking. From the feel of it, she was having fun.  _Which means she's gotten into a fight_ , he thought with a roll of his eyes. She was stronger than her adversaries but she was merely toying with them. He blinked when he felt something else.  _That girl_. She was confused and scared. Against his better judgment, Vegeta turned around and headed to his sister's location.

By the time he got there, the place had been trashed. Sighing, he knew that this would probably come out of his paycheck. Whenever Kinomi got in trouble, it came out of  _his_  paycheck. Whenever any of his contingent screwed up and it got back to Frieza, it came out of  _Vegeta's_  paycheck. He glanced around to see Kinomi was fighting off two very large Sirians. They were a strong race, but nowhere in the league of a Saiyan. Vegeta hung back for a moment and watched.

* * *

Kinomi was having too much fun. She was purposely drawing out the  _fight_. Only the large one who initially confronted her remained conscious. She could feel her brother nearby. Knowing he would chew her out later for her reckless behavior, she grabbed the larger alien by his neck and held him up.

"You've shamed your people enough. I suppose I could send you to them in the afterlife." Kinomi raised her hand to deliver the final blow. Before she could, she heard a small yelp. Turning her head, she saw one of the other Sirians was holding Bulma, his arm wrapped around her neck. She was clawing at his arm and wriggling. Kinomi rolled her eyes. She'd almost forgotten about Bulma.

"Let Argock go," the Sirian tightened his hold on Bulma, "or I'll snap this one's neck."

Kinomi watched Bulma in the unnamed Sirian's arm. She was clawing and scratching like a woman possessed. If the situation was not so serious, Kinomi might have laughed at her.

 _Kinomi, the woman's life is not something you should tamper with_ , Vegeta sent to her. He could tell she rolled her eyes.

"Let me go!" Bulma yelled, still struggling.

"Hold still!" The Sirian held Bulma much tighter. He was beginning to strangle her.

"Let me go!" Bulma squeezed her eyes shut. Aside from her trachea being crushed, her head was starting to hurt. But she did not stop struggling and fighting. "I said let me  _ **GO**_!"

Vegeta closed his right eye as his scouter's glass screen cracked and broke into pieces. Every window and piece of glass within a five hundred foot radius of Bulma had shattered when she screamed. Her captor had simply shattered along with the glass. It was as if he was willed apart on a molecular level. Vegeta watched Bulma fall to her knees. When it was over, there was not a single trace of him left. Even his clothing was gone. All that remained was a reddish-brown splatter mark where he once stood.

After getting over her momentary shock-induced paralysis, Kinomi snapped Argock's neck and unceremoniously dropped him on the ground. She walked hurriedly over to where Bulma was trying to catch her breath. She felt something warm running out of her nose. She touched her face and looked at her fingers. She had a nosebleed. She immediately put pressure on it. "Are you ok?" she asked Bulma.

The lavender-haired doll looked up at her. She too had a nosebleed. "I'm exhausted." Bulma looked around her as she stood up. "What happened? Did you save me?"

 _Lie to her_ , Vegeta told Kinomi.

"Yeah. I vaporized him. Let's go before Frieza sends someone out." Kinomi pulled Bulma to her feet. "Pinch the bridge of your nose to stop the bleeding."

Bulma obeyed as Kinomi led her back to the ship. Her head was killing her. She felt as though she was losing consciousness.  _I can't pass out. If Frieza sees me hurt he'll blame Kinomi and who knows what he'll do to her_ , she thought. Bulma tried her hardest to concentrate on something other than the pain.

* * *

Zarbon stood just outside the entrance to the flagship. They were not leaving for another ten or so hours. However, Frieza advised him to keep an eye out for Bulma. Even though Frieza had left Kinomi in charge of the teenage rebel, he still did not trust Bulma being out and about. By his scouter, Zarbon could tell Kinomi had gotten into something of a fight. It had not lasted long, but he was mildly concerned for Bulma's wellbeing. Even if it was blatantly Kinomi's fault, Zarbon would get caught in the gravitational pull of Frieza's wrath.

It was easy to spot Bulma in a crowd and when he saw her arriving with Kinomi he sighed with relief. He noted the redness of her face and how she looked a bit dizzy. Kinomi gave him a derisive glare and passed right by him, pulling Bulma along. She was stuck her tongue out at him and took Bulma inside.

The green-haired alien would rather die than admit it, but he found the youngest Saiyan female quite attractive. He knew plenty of men on the ship who appreciated her looks as well. Besides their fear of Vegeta, they feared their leader even more. Frieza had once said that the Saiyan princess was a rare commodity and that she was not to be touched... sexually.  _I could always suggest certain punishments for the little brat should she ever cross a line_ , Zarbon though evilly. He was about to follow them inside when Vegeta registered on his scouter. He whirled around to see the spiky-haired prince behind him.

"Where did you come from? And where have you been? You're never supposed to go off grid," Zarbon said.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "I didn't go anywhere. Your scouter did just pick me up, didn't it?" The prince sauntered past Zarbon, ignoring the low hiss he gave. Vegeta had only made his presence known because he did not like the way Zarbon was eyeing his sister and Bulma. He could only imagine the foul thoughts going through his mind.

* * *

Kinomi deposited Bulma roughly on her bed. Bulma had passed out halfway to their quarters and Kinomi ended up carrying her. Rika ran to her mistress' side. She looked up at Kinomi for answers. "She said something about a headache." The Saiyan watched Rika nod slowly and look back down at Bulma. "Her body temperature seems to be high. Maybe you should work on bringing it down." Kinomi left the room.

She took a seat in the living area of Bulma's quarters. Closing her eyes, she searched for her brother. He was back on the ship and within reach.  _Her maid seems to know something. Should I ask her something_?

 _No. The maid could be under Frieza's thumb and feeding him information. Bring it up to the woman when you are certain you two are alone_ , Vegeta replied.

 _What if she's also feeding Frieza information_?

Vegeta sighed mentally. Somehow, he knew Bulma would never help Frieza outside of what he expected of her. Maybe if Kinomi earned her trust they could utilize her skills against Frieza.  _I don't think she is. Just ask the woman what the extents of her powers are. Nothing more, nothing less. Got it_?

Kinomi sighed. She was extremely curious about Bulma's abilities. As far as she knew, Bulma could read minds and discern whether a person was lying or not.  _Yeah I got it. But what if she gets on to me_?

 _Gain her trust and that won't be a problem_. Vegeta severed the connection.

The Saiyan princess hated when Vegeta just ended their conversations. She looked back towards Bulma's bedroom and saw Rika placing a towel on Bulma's head. It was strange that Bulma did not remember how she got free. Kinomi briefly thought about telling her, but if even Bulma had no control over such a power it was better that she not know about it. If Frieza got wind of it, he would most definitely abuse that power.

* * *

"Food's ready!" Chichi called from the kitchen of the Saiyan quarters.

It took less than five seconds for the bumbling brothers to scramble into the room. They sat at the only table afforded to them. Chichi had made enough food to feed an entire battalion of Frieza's soldiers. Six Saiyan men could easily put away more than that if they were so inclined. Raditz, Kakarrot, and Turles began filling their plates quickly as Nappa sauntered in. The oldest of the Saiyans was relatively calm as he sat down.

"I got it first, Kakarrot. It's mine!" Turles yelled at his twin.

Though he was easily the more mild of the twins, when it came to food he was the fiercest. "No way, Turles! I got to it first!"

"I'm older, so I get it!"

"By three lousy minutes! That card won't fly today!"

Raditz calmly reached between the two and took the slab of meat for himself. "Now, neither of you get it," he said as he bit into it. The twins glared at him, steam practically rising from their ears.

The chef walked between Turles and Kakarrot and pinched their ears. They flinched and tried to wriggle free as she pulled them out of their seats. "I told you what would happen if you fought over food. Out my kitchen!" She nearly tossed them through the door.

Vegeta walked past the fallen brothers and into the kitchen. He was not a fan of Chichi. At the most, he tolerated her because she was Kinomi's friend, she could do first aid, and she could cook. Her personality left something to be desired. Also, her voice was too high for his sensitive ears.

"Good evening, Vegeta. I assume everything went well," Chichi said, looking him dead in the eye as he sat. Despite the aforementioned shortcomings, she was also the only person Vegeta trusted with information on his rebellion. As much as she annoyed him, Chichi was the only other person besides himself and Tarble in the Saiyan contingent that wasn't mostly brawn.

"Well enough." Vegeta looked around. "Where is Tarble?"

"He was working on the scouters the last I saw him. You know how immersed he gets in his work. He said something about the tracking devices."

"The boy needs to eat. Missing meals does nothing for his strength. He needs that if he is to keep up with us," Nappa said through a mouthful of food. "Why is he tinkering with the tracking devices anyway?"

Vegeta sighed as he filled his plate. "Because we're being tracked every time we wear one. Frieza gives us free will, but he'll always be able to track us."

"Then we just break them," Raditz replied. "Why keep it if it only relays to Frieza our location and our conversations?"

"Because it would be painfully obvious that we're off grid. Everyone knows Frieza has his goons watch us like hawks whenever he can't do it personally," Chichi said. She looked towards the door at the twins. "You can come back in and eat if you act civil," she relented. Kakarrot and Turles came in and sat down without a sound. There was some minor shoving, but Chichi's hard glare put an end to that.

Tarble walked in the room, holding up a scouter. "I did it!" he exclaimed.

"Did what?"

"I managed to rewire the scouters so that the tracking devices still work, but we can set the device to give out a signal of wherever we want to be." Tarble's smile dropped when he noticed everyone sort of staring blankly at him. "Say if I were back in the Jovian System, I could set this to say that I'm on Axl even though I'm not."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Well done. That actually may come in handy soon," he said. He saw Tarble smile again and gave him a hard glare. "You've finished your work for the day. Eat."

Tarble immediately sat. After he fixed his first plate, he looked at Vegeta. "Will Kinomi be all right?"

"Why wouldn't she be?" Vegeta did not look up from his food. He knew his younger brother grew anxious whenever he was not around her for too long. Kinomi would deny it until her dying day, but she experienced the same anxiety. Vegeta figured it had something to do with sharing the same womb for nine months. Sometimes Vegeta thought they were two halves of the same androgynous being; Kinomi the brawn and Tarble the brains. "Aside from getting into a bar fight, nothing is wrong with Kinomi. She has a mission."

"Speaking of missions, did Frieza ever say what our next mission was?"

* * *

Frieza tapped a skinny finger on his chair. In his other hand, he held a burgundy glass of red wine. The wine was the color of blood. Frieza brought it up to his lips just as Zarbon walked in the room. "She is back?" he asked just before taking a sip of his drink.

"Yes, Lord Frieza. Would you like an audience with her?" Zarbon watched Frieza carefully. His master seemed to be in a good mood. That was a good thing. "I can have her retrieved."

"Yes. I'd like to see how my delicate flower's day was. Also, I want to see how she's meshing that little cute monkey," Frieza said.

Zarbon nodded and left the room. He was surprised at how Frieza referred to Kinomi. Whenever he said something or someone was  _cute_  it usually did not turn out well for whatever was  _cute_. He could only assume that he wanted to keep Kinomi close for some other reason.

* * *

Bulma opened her eyes. The light in her bedroom seemed a little too bright. The world was hazy and bleary. It felt like someone was hitting her constantly in her left temple. The worst part was she could not stop the flow of thoughts like rushing water through her mind. It was as if she could hear every thought everyone on the ship was having at that exact moment. There were so many voices overlapping with each other. This only happened when she lost control. Bulma groaned and closed her eyes.

"Miss Bulma? Miss Bulma?"

Someone was calling to Bulma. She opened her eyes again. She'd finally beaten the voices to the back of her mind. Rika was standing over Bulma, dabbing something cold on her forehead. Bulma groaned and turned her head to the side.

"Miss Bulma, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Bulma shook her head. She sat up. "I'm fine. Where's Kinomi?" she asked.

Rika breathed a sigh of relief. If anything happened to Bulma, Frieza would most definitely kill her for it. "She's in the living room, miss. Should I call for her?"

Before Bulma could answer, someone's thoughts pushed their way to the forefront of her mind.  _Zarbon is coming_. She immediately got out of her bed and looked herself over. Everything seemed to be in place. Just as she was leaving the bedroom, Kinomi was answering the door to her chambers.

Kinomi's face said enough when the door slid open, revealing the beautiful face of Zarbon. While many women found him absolutely delectable, Kinomi found him repulsive. She found most men repulsive. It was most certainly a byproduct of growing up around six other men. "What do you want?" she asked, her tone short.

"I don't think I like that attitude of yours, brat," Zarbon said. He pushed his way past Kinomi. She was two seconds away from yanking his ponytail right off his head when a voice halted her. She looked towards the bedroom and saw Bulma standing in the doorway. She could not tell if Bulma had spoken or not. It sounded as though she spoke but at the same time it did not. Kinomi bit her tongue and just watched.

Bulma sighed and crossed her arms. "I'll repeat Kinomi's question since you seem to have misheard her. What do you want?" She tried to sound blasé about the situation, but the harsh ache in her head was preventing any emotion except the pain from showing on her face.

That pain did not go unnoticed by Zarbon. "Frieza would like your company." He reached out to grab Bulma's arm. Before he could touch her, Kinomi slapped his arm away. She instead grabbed Bulma and began pulling her towards the exit. "You little brat..." His insult died in his throat when he saw Kinomi smirking back at him with her middle finger in the air.

The Saiyan princess looked at Bulma out of the corner of her eye as they walked in silence. She let out a low sigh. "You'll have to put on a better acting job than that in front of Frieza, Blue," she whispered.

Bulma looked up at the new nickname. She chuckled softly. "I'm trying. This pain is unreal though. What happened back at the restaurant? Why does it seem like a big chunk of my memory is missing?"

Kinomi knew there was only one way to get Bulma's trust. She had to tell her the truth. She grabbed Bulma arm and yanked her into a custodial closet. She'd clearly taken Bulma by surprise. "Listen and listen good. I'm only going to tell you this once."

"Tell me what?" Bulma asked. She could no longer see Kinomi in the dark closet, but she knew the girl was staring intently at her.

"Tell you what happened back at the restaurant."


	4. Discovery

Bulma and Kinomi entered Frieza's room. The two expected to see Zarbon. Instead, there was a purple-skinned alien waiting for them. He was only a little bit taller than Bulma and he was grinning at them. Kinomi recognized him immediately.  _Cui_ , she thought angrily.

 _Who's Cui? Is he a bad person_? Bulma asked Kinomi. She could tell Kinomi was not ready for Bulma to speak to her just yet by the way the shorter girl flinched.  _Sorry. I haven't gotten this under control so I can still hear pretty much everyone's thoughts_.

Kinomi nodded slightly. She had learned that Bulma had to actively block out the thoughts of others. To her, it was just like overhearing people talk. Unless she constantly held up a mental wall to block out the thoughts, she would hear every thought of everyone within a certain radius of her for every waking moment. Kinomi assumed something like that was mentally exhausting, but Bulma said she'd gotten used to it; that it came almost second nature.

"Bulma, my little flower. How was your trip to Digm?" Frieza asked, resting his chin on his hands.

"Smelly, hot, loud... A lot like the ship, actually. I definitely wasn't missing anything," Bulma said. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Frieza shook his head. He noticed the blue jewel around Bulma's pale neck. "I see you've bought yourself something. Let me have a look." He beckoned Bulma forward with his right index finger. Bulma walked over to him as she removed the necklace. She placed it in Frieza's outstretched hand. The warlord examined the blue gem. "A sapphire in the shape of a teardrop. I never knew you liked jewelry, Bulma."

Bulma shrugged and stepped away from Frieza. "This is the first piece of jewelry I've ever owned. It was an impulse buy," she said.

"How is your new bodyguard? Is the cute little one playing nice?"

The lavender-haired girl wondered where Frieza was going with this conversation. He was beating around the bush. If she so chose, she could just read Frieza. However, he seemed to have built up a defense from her powers over the years. Frieza simply did not think past what he was going to say at the moment while he was in Bulma's presence. He was savvy enough to know her powers would even extend to him.  _Why is he concerned with Kinomi? She hasn't done anything_. She concentrated on Frieza just to see if she could read him. She tried to hide her surprise when she realized she could. It hurt to do it, but his thoughts were coming in loud and clear.

"She's been very helpful. She protected me while I was out. You chose well, Frieza," Bulma said. Although it was a fight Kinomi instigated somewhat, she had the decency not to include Bulma in it.

"And what about you, little one? Are you enjoying your tenure so far?"

Kinomi rolled her eyes. "I've been on this  _tenure_  for less than a day. There isn't much to like or dislike yet. Is there anything you  _need_ , Lord Frieza?" She was not trying to hide her annoyance with the whole situation.

Frieza smirked at Kinomi and took a sip of his wine. "Little one, Cui here was just telling me that he hasn't seen you in a few years. Isn't that right, Cui?"

"Yes. Her runt brother keeps her hidden. I see him all the time. Rarely do I see the Saiyan women, though." Cui looked Kinomi over. "And a woman she has indeed become."

Bulma did not like where this conversation is going. She also was not too keen on where Cui's line of thinking was going. She immediately looked back at Frieza. "Frieza, I'm very tired from today. Can Kinomi take me back to my room?"

The tyrant looked at Bulma. "I'm not stopping you from leaving. I'm still talking with Kinomi, though."

"But I need a chaperone. Kinomi noted herself that with so many men back from missions that it isn't safe for me to be alone on the ship. I'd like her to escort me back. She  _ **IS**_  my bodyguard," Bulma said.

Frieza's entertained appearance drained away. He could just refuse her, but Bulma could be stubborn until she got her way. And, she was not lying. He'd seen the way soldiers looked at Bulma. Lust was not hard to discern even without reading their minds.  _I'm beginning to indulge this girl too much_ , he thought with a frown. He grumbled something under his breath and waved his hand. Bulma turned around and nodded at Kinomi. The two left almost as quickly as they had come.

Cui seemed disappointed. He looked at Frieza. "She is as cute as you say, Lord Frieza. I'm surprised. Do you think the Force will like her?" he asked.

"I'm sure they will. Their leader has always had a thing for  _tails_ ," Frieza said. "Zarbon, tell Dodoria to send for Vegeta. I've got an assignment for him."

* * *

The duo made it back to Bulma's quarters. They'd walked the whole way in silence. Kinomi could practically smell the anxiety emanating from Bulma. Deciding it was better to ask where there were not prying eyes and ears, she waited patiently until they made it back. The moment the door slid shut and locked, Kinomi sat down and crossed her arms.

After checking to see that Rika was nowhere within reach, Bulma faced Kinomi. Her question went unsaid, but Bulma could tell what she wanted to know without even trying. "Frieza has something awful planned for you. He wants to sell you or something."

The Saiyan princess appeared indifferent to such a plot. "I assume you mean as a sex slave. That would all be a ruse."

"A ruse?"

"I'd be expected to perform such  _duties_  but in reality I'd be a spy for Frieza. He even spies on his so-called  _allies_. He's smart enough to know not to trust anyone. For some reason he trusts you, though." Kinomi chuckled softly. "Wait until Geta hears about this."

Bulma sat down next to Kinomi. "Won't he be mad? I'd be furious at such a plan if you were my younger sister." She watched Kinomi shrug. "What does that mean?"

"He'd be annoyed at the prospect of having to sink to such a low, but that would only last as long as the time I'd leave. While I've never had to use my feminine wiles to lure men before, I figured it was only a matter of time before I would be used like that." Kinomi took the time to look at Bulma for her reaction. She laughed at the telepath's face.

"I see nothing funny about this," Bulma said.

"Well, I do. You look worse than that guppy-faced Cui."

Bulma crossed her arms. "Clearly your idea of humor differs greatly from mine. You have absolutely no problem with being sent out to do Frieza's bidding as a sex slave?"

Again, Kinomi shrugged. "Ninety percent of Frieza's spies are sex slaves. Ninety-five percent of them are female. Dignitaries and people in positions of power seem to all agree on one thing: sex. What better place to plant a spy than in someone's bed? Concubines are privy to conversations even the most trusted assistants are not."

"I suppose I see your point. That doesn't mean I condone such a thing. I also can't believe your brother would even stand for something like that," Bulma said. She looked at Kinomi out of the corner of her eye. Her expression had not changed, but she had gone into deep thought.

"I understand Geta and why he does what he does and thinks the way he thinks." Kinomi could not come right out and tell Bulma about the resistance. She tried to keep even the thought of it out of her mind, not knowing if Bulma was listening in or not. "If you were in our position, you'd understand."

She did not know what that cryptic last sentence meant, so Bulma decided to change the direction of the conversation. "I  _willed_  a man into nonexistence, huh? That's definitely new."

"You didn't know you could do that?"

Bulma shook her head and rubbed the bald spot on her head. For the most part, the pain in her head had ceased and she regained control over her powers. But for whatever reason, that one spot on her head was still hurting. "I honestly didn't know. I've never tried to control anything other than the flow of thoughts into my mind."

Kinomi glanced around the room. She got up and retrieved a glass paperweight from Bulma's writing desk. She sat it on the small table in front of the couch they sat on. "There."

"What?"

"Try to  _will it into nonexistence_. Try to move it or something."

Bulma looked at the purple paperweight. It had been a present from Frieza. He had said it reminded him of her hair. Frowning, Bulma began concentrating on it. The spherical object just sat there, unmoving. Bulma leaned forward, narrowing her eyes to the point that she was almost squinting. The paperweight did not move. No matter how much Bulma tried, the glass ball would not move. She sat back on the couch letting out a sigh.

Kinomi smirked. "No dice, huh? Amazing that you can do it subconsciously but can't call upon it at will."

"The only explanation is that I do it inadvertently or under duress. I can't even recall doing anything to start it. All I know is that I was scared and my head started hurting. The next thing I know, you're pulling me to my feet and I have a nosebleed." Bulma looked back at the glass ball. She frowned at it. "It's like it's mocking me."

"I highly doubt a glass sphere is mocking you, Blue." Kinomi relaxed back on the couch and stretched. "I'm hungry. I think I'll go find something to eat in a few minutes. Where is that lackey of yours?"

Bulma had gone back to staring at the glass sphere. She still could not even get it to even shudder.  _I know I can do this. I've done it before, so I can do it again. It can't just be a one-time deal_ , she thought angrily. She began squinting again.

The door to the room slid open unexpectedly. Bulma jumped from the sudden noise. Kinomi was also mildly startled. The glass paperweight shattered on the table. Bulma and Kinomi exchanged bewildered glances and looked up to see Rika coming in. She was followed by servants with several carts of food.

"I hope I got enough food for an appetite such as yours, Kinomi." Rika faced them. She noticed the destroyed ball on the table. "Oh Miss Bulma, did you drop it? Lord Frieza won't be happy about this. I'll clean it up immediately." She left the room.

Kinomi relaxed again, giving Bulma a knowing smile. "Now if you could just figure out how to do that at will, your life will be a lot easier..."

* * *

Vegeta scratched at his left temple. For some reason, he felt an odd burning sensation. It had only lasted a moment. It felt like a tiny prickle at first and then a burst of pain. Then it was gone. As one who rarely experienced any ailment aside from an injury sustained in the line of duty, Vegeta found it strange that his head would even tingle. Chichi always said that headaches were omens for trouble brewing.

The displaced prince was on his way back to the Saiyan quarters. He'd just come from a meeting with Frieza.  _Not really a meeting. More like Frieza just telling me what to do and where to do it_ , Vegeta thought with an irritated roll of his eyes.

He walked in on a scene of Kakarrot and Turles arguing over a shoe of all things. Strong as they were, neither had very much going on upstairs. They were reliable in battle but outside of that the two were almost useless. "Get up, idiots!" Vegeta said loudly.

The twins looked up to see their leader. Turles took the opportunity to kick Kakarrot and take the shoe. They both stood and faced the prince. "What's up, Vegeta?" They did not do it often, but when they spoke in unison it was kind of creepy.

"Frieza has given us orders. We're to leave for the Jovian System tomorrow."

Kakarrot scratched his head. "But hasn't that system been purged already? Why is Frieza sending us back?"

"Apparently the job was not done thoroughly. Frieza wants the entire system inspected and rid of all forms of sentient life. Where's the raven?" Vegeta asked. He looked around for Chichi, not finding her anywhere in their quarters. "Well?"

"She went with Nappa to the training rooms. They took Tarble with them," Turles answered.

"And where is the third idiot in your family?"

"Raditz? Oh he made off with some female a while ago. Haven't seen him since."

Vegeta sighed. He figured Raditz would eventually find his way back to their shared quarters. In the meantime, he would go see what it was Chichi, Nappa, and Tarble were doing. He left the shoving brothers and headed to the lower decks of the ship. There were several training rooms with reinforced walls and gravity manipulators in them. The Saiyans kept to themselves for the most part and everyone else was either too scared or had some grudge against them. They were mostly left alone whenever they trained.

Chichi was going at it with Tarble. Besides Vegeta, she was the only one Tarble would willingly train with. Vegeta got the feeling Tarble trained with him because he was simply his older brother. Even though they were the same age, Tarble saw Chichi as an older sister. She was patient with him; too patient for Vegeta's liking.

"Tarble, stop pulling punches! No one is going to pull punches on you!" Chichi sent him flying into a wall, knocking the wind out of him.

 _Well, patient as it gets for her. At least she doesn't coddle him_ , Vegeta thought as he strolled up beside Nappa. He continued to watch the spar in silence.

"Look for openings! Don't just blindly attack!" Nappa yelled.

"Pfft!  _Blindly attacking_  is your specialty, Nappa." The elder prince made his presence known. Everyone paused to see Vegeta. Tarble's face relaxed. He seemed happy to know that his training session might be over. "Nappa, head back to the quarters. We're leaving for the Jovian System soon. Tarble, go with him," Vegeta said.

Once Nappa and Tarble had cleared out, Chichi crossed her arms and walked up to Vegeta. "But hasn't that system already been purged? Why are we going back?" The question she wanted to ask was probably clear as day to Vegeta. However, they were never truly alone. There were always eyes and ears listening.

"Clearly the first purge was nowhere near good enough to meet Frieza's lofty standards. I'm sure there's nothing left there except some stragglers that might've been hiding out during the initial purge."

Chichi nodded slowly. "And we'll be leaving Kinomi here alone?"

"She has her own assignment. Until she is relieved of that post, she'll be that woman's bodyguard." Vegeta did not like the thought leaving Kinomi alone with Bulma, but it was out of his control. "How is Tarble's progress?"

"Slow, but steady. He's definitely gotten faster. His general strength isn't that impressive. He could best any of the third-classes, but second-class would be hit or miss. First-class is definitely out of the question. His greatest strength is his ability to improvise. Combine that with his speed..."

"Speed? How fast is he?"

"It's strange that his speed is so great. While he may not be able to land a decent punch at times, he can certainly dodge with the best of them."

Vegeta grunted. "I see. Work on developing his speed and attacks based around it."

* * *

Bulma woke up earlier than usual the next morning. It was the first time in years that she'd woken up from another's thoughts. She sat up, trying to block them out. She paused when she realized whose voice it was. Kinomi was apparently having another conversation with her brother. From her tone, Bulma could tell she was unhappy with whatever he had told her. Since they were not touching, Bulma could only hear one side.

 _It isn't right for me to pry_. Bulma immediately blocked the thoughts out.  _What I should be more concerned about is how I have this new ability that I didn't have when I woke up yesterday_. She hot up and turned the lights on in her bedroom.

Kinomi's eyes cut to the side. She could hear noise coming from Bulma's bedroom. She sighed.  _See! You've made me wake up Blue_! she yelled at her elder brother.

 _Wake her up? You haven't even said anything_.

 _She can_ _ **HEAR**_ _anyone's thoughts. I'm sure she can hear our conversation. Normally she's able to block out everything unless she wants to hear it but her control has slipped since yesterday's outburst_ , Kinomi replied.  _I still don't think I belong here_.

 _You do until Frieza says otherwise_.

The thought of telling Vegeta what Bulma told her about Frieza's intentions crossed her mind. She knew Vegeta would not take it well at this stage. She also knew that though he could do little to nothing to stop it; it would distract him from his duties.  _This job is stupid. Clearly this girl can take care of herself_.

 _You just said that she couldn't replicate that power without some sort of catalyst. How is that able to help her defensively_?

 _Self-preservation usually comes before anything else_.

 _Listen. We'll be back soon. Just do your job_. Again, Vegeta severed the connection before Kinomi could respond.

She rolled her eyes and threw herself back on her bed. She would admit that the accommodations in Bulma's chambers were much better than where she stayed with her Saiyan allies. She had her own room; her own space. She no longer had to sleep on a bunk bed. The only problem in her eyes was the food. While it was of a higher grade than the usual crap that was served in the mess hall, it still paled in comparison to Chichi's cooking.

"How to go about keeping Frieza's minions at bay," Kinomi whispered. "I guess I could start by helping Blue figure out a way to use that power of hers." She rolled out of her bed and went to the door.

Bulma looked up as Kinomi exited her room. "Good morning. I just ordered breakfast. I think we've left Axl already. Did you sleep well?"

"As well as can be expected."

The lavender-haired telepath nodded. She noticed Kinomi's hair was unbraided. When it was not in the braid, it matched the rest of her hair; spiky and wild. Bulma found herself wondering if it was soft or brittle. Kinomi caught her staring and Bulma immediately looked away. "I wonder where Rika is. She's usually here in the mornings."

Kinomi snorted at the maid's name. Though the maid seemed faithful enough to Bulma, Kinomi had a feeling that she was Bulma's maid for a reason. "Do you trust that girl, Blue?"

"Rika? What a strange question, Kinomi. I'd have to trust her on some level. She does take care of me when I'm sick or injured. Plus, she's always been there to patch me up whenever Frieza punishes me. Why do you ask?"

"Has it ever crossed your mind that she may be feeding information to Frieza?"

Bulma blinked a few times. Then she smiled and laughed lightly. "Oh I have no doubt that she is. I'm pretty sure she gives Frieza full progress reports on me."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?" Bulma asked with a shrug. She could see Kinomi was not pleased in the lackadaisical attitude Bulma had towards Rika essentially being a spy. "Listen, I'm careful enough to censor myself around Rika. She doesn't know about my..." Bulma stopped talking.

Kinomi frowned at Bulma's clipped sentence. Before she could say anything more, Rika entered the room. The young maid looked between the two before walking between them. "You have ordered breakfast, Miss Bulma?" she asked.

"Yes. I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. I ordered enough for Kinomi. She has that big appetite."

"My body requires fuel just as yours does. The only difference is mine requires a bit more."

 _Quite a bit more_ , Bulma thought with a smile.  _I think this friendship thing is going swimmingly. Maybe I can get her to talk about her brother later_.

* * *

The Jovian System consisted of four large, gaseous planets. The largest could be considered something of a failed star, as it had no actual surface. It was green with lines of white clouds. It was uninhabitable, so there was no way any sentient life could survive on it. The other three were much smaller and might as well have been moons to the largest of them. The Saiyans split up into three groups; two groups of three and Vegeta. Vegeta went to Jovu-4, the smallest of the planets, alone.

The three brothers landed on Jovu-2, the second largest. Because the air was toxic, they were forced to wear gas masks. Kakarrot was the first to voice his displeasure. "I hate wearing these things. They're uncomfortable," he whined.

"You could always take it off. I doubt you wouldn't be doing the galaxy a favor," Turles scoffed at him. Kakarrot growled and tackled his brother. They began a playful wrestling match that continued until they heard their elder brother growling into his mask. "What's wrong, Raditz?"

Raditz faced his less-mature brothers. "Could you two act less like ignoramuses and more like soldiers? Why do I always get stuck with you two ingrates? We have a job to do. Root out any leftover natives and kill them."

Kakarrot and Turles obeyed their older brother. The three took off in different directions, hoping to weed out any survivors from the earlier purge. As they flew over the planet, they picked up no readings of sentient beings. There were barely any buildings standing on the planet. From the looks of things, the place had been thoroughly purged.

"No one's here, guys. Frieza sent us on a bogus mission," Turles said into his scouter. "Just like that idiot to send us out into the middle of nowhere for no reason."

"You know he can hear you, right?" Kakarrot quipped.

"And? There's no law against insulting him. He's said so himself. As long as I follow his damn orders he doesn't care what the hell I say about him."

 _To some extent, that is true_ , Chichi thought as she eavesdropped on the brothers. She was on Jovu-3. While the atmosphere on Jovu-3 was less toxic, it was still hazardous to breathe it in unassisted for a lengthy period of time. She, Nappa, and Tarble all wore gas masks as well. Chichi tuned the brothers out and checked the area for life.

"I'm not picking anyone up, Chichi," Tarble said in her ear.

"Me neither. Still, we have to at least give the planet a thorough once-over. Nappa?"

"Hn?"

"Take the north and east. I'll take west. Tarble, you go south. We'll meet back here in no less than an hour," Chichi said. The other two grumbled their responses and the group separated.

Vegeta landed on Jovu-4 after everyone had already been on their planets for at least 30 minutes. In its current position in orbit, it was the farthest out from Jovu-1. The air was close to the usual air they breathed, except that for whatever reason it was much thinner. He could go without a mask, but if he was to expend more energy than simply flying he would find it hard to catch his breath quickly. He also opted for breathing assistance with a mask.

The prince chose to come to Jovu-4 alone for one reason. It was where one of the bases of his rebellion was. Vegeta landed relatively close to it. The base itself was deep underground. The only evidence of its existence was what appeared to be a well. Vegeta went over to it and jumped down. He fell for a good 50 feet before landing in a dusty underground room. A trapdoor and a panel with several buttons was on the ground. After entering a code, the trapdoor opened slightly. Vegeta used his foot to lift it completely and then jumped down.

The underground base was dark and clearly deserted. Vegeta made his way around it by memory. He came to a large office-like room and went inside. There on a table, seemingly waiting for him was a small tube-like object. Vegeta picked it up and felt around it. He found a button, pushed it, and sat the tube back down. A hologram of a hooded being appeared.

" _The heads-up was greatly appreciated. You'll find the files you're looking for in the voice-activated chamber. Keep them safe. There will be more on the way. The new location will also be included_." The message ended and the hologram disappeared. In a small explosion, the tube self-destructed.

Vegeta left the room and headed back down a hall. He came to a stairway and descended four flights. He was easily almost a mile underground by now. The last floor held very little light and Vegeta had to use the light on his scouter to see. He came to a stone wall and felt around. His gloved fingers came across hard, metal surface. Vegeta stepped in front of it.

"Activate," he said.

" _Activated. Password required_."

"Nova Bella Arcturus," Vegeta said clearly.

" _Password accepted_." The safe popped open. Vegeta pulled it open completely, retrieved a small envelope, and closed it once more. After collecting what he came for, he left the compound altogether.

Outside, he rose high above the well and prepared a large attack. In a single attack, Vegeta destroyed both the well and the underground base. All that was left was a crater with seemingly no bottom. After that, the prince returned to his pod and left the planet.

* * *

"I don't think you're trying, Blue."

Bulma looked at Kinomi from over the top of the glass. For the past eight days, she had been trying to use her newfound power at will. The results were not forthcoming. "I am trying, Kinomi. I'm trying so hard my eyes hurt. You try making objects come apart with just your brain. I promise it'll give you a headache," she retorted.

Kinomi sighed and sat up properly in her seat. She leaned forward, still across from Bulma. "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe it isn't something you should be attempting to do with your mind," she suggested.

"What? I don't get where you're going with this. Of course it's a mental thing."

"You think it's mental and that's the problem. How do you read minds? Is it something you actively try to do or is it something you naturally do?"

Bulma considered the question for a moment. The truth was the only thing she  _actively_  did was keep the voices out. In order to read a person's mind, all she needed to do was search for their  _channel_  and essentially turn up the volume. "So what you're saying is that I should just let it happen?"

Kinomi nodded and relaxed back in her seat. "Exactly. Just let nature take over. There's a door you need to unlock. All you need is the key."

The lavender-haired beauty went back to staring blankly at the glass. She lessened the tension in her face and exhaled. With a slight shift of her head, the glass shattered. This time, the glass did not fall to the table in pieces. The shards stayed afloat, circling as if they were in orbit. Kinomi watched with cloaked interest as Bulma tilted her head again. The next thing to  _shatter_  was the table the glass had been on. After that, a few more pieces of furniture began to come apart.

Kinomi immediately recognized where this was going. "Blue, bring it back together," she said as calmly as possible. Objects in the room just kept coming apart. Kinomi noticed the lone porthole window crack. If the glass shattered, they would both die. "Blue!"

Bulma blinked. She became aware of her surroundings.  _I'm doing this? This is bad. How do I stop it_? She racked her brain for answers. Things were still shattering around the room. Bulma squeezed her eyes shut. The pain on the left side of her head returned as she tried to draw all the power she was giving off back in.

The Saiyan warrior sniffed as she felt something warm running out of her nose. Bringing a gloved hand up, she realized her nose was bleeding. Everything began to piece itself back together and the tension on Bulma's face grew. Soon, everything was back to the way it was. The slight fear Kinomi had just a moment before dissipated when she saw Bulma collapse back on the sofa she sat on.

"That was... intense," Bulma whispered. She too had a nosebleed. She wiped the blood away and looked at her hand. "I wonder if this is going to happen every time."

Kinomi tuned Bulma out as she wondered aloud about her new abilities. She retreated into her own thoughts about how truly dangerous Bulma could be.  _She could be both an ally and nemesis at the same time. No; with that power she already is. If Frieza ever found out about her power, she could easily become a weapon of destruction; an even greater one than Geta_. She looked at Bulma, who was smiling and still talking.

"Hey Kinomi?"

Kinomi snapped out of her stupor. "Huh?"

"Could I meet the rest of your... family?"


	5. What the Hell?

Vegeta was jolted awake, but he did not open his eyes. He was still sitting in his pod. For whatever reason, he'd come out of his stasis sleep. There was silence in his scouter. That meant that everyone else was still in stasis. Why was he the only one awake? What had drawn him from his sleep? He finally opened his eyes and blinked the blurriness out of them. Once his eyes focused, he blinked a few more times just to make sure what he was seeing was indeed real.

_What the hell?_

In front of Vegeta was an ethereal being. It was clearly a woman. She had blue hair and pale skin. Her eyes were cloudy, as if they were missing both irises and pupils together. She simply sat in front of Vegeta with her knees to her chest in the cramped pod. She was staring at him unflinchingly and intently. Her mouth was open slightly, as if she was about to speak to him or holding her breath.

Vegeta came back to his senses and reached out to grab the mysterious woman. She gasped almost as if he had touched her but his hand went right through her. She looked down at his hand. To Vegeta's surprise, she appeared just as bewildered by this phenomenon as he did. She continued to stare at his hand and reached for it. Vegeta did not draw back. Instead, he chose to watch what she would do. Her hand hovered above his and he could almost feel her warm touch. Just before she could touch him, she glanced up in his eyes. For a split second, Vegeta saw a flash of cerulean in her eyes. If he had blinked right then he would have missed it. Then, her image disappeared like smoke in the wind.

 _What the hell just happened_? Vegeta questioned himself. He rubbed his eyes with his gloved hands and checked to see where they were in their journey to Frieza Planet 1. They were in the Cerebus System.  _There should be a deserted planet somewhere around here. I need to blow off some steam_...

* * *

When Bulma opened her eyes, she felt like there was a 500lb weight on her head. She blinked a few times and realized the world seemed upside down. She was hanging off her bed. There were a few broken objects in her room, but nothing too bad. She righted herself on the bed and sat up in it. Bulma stretched and moved her head around. She was very stiff.  _How did I end up hanging off the bed like that? That was strange_ , she thought. Then she tried to recall her dream. All she got was blurry images.

Rika burst into her room and turned the light on. Bulma shielded her eyes a bit and glared at her maid. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but Frieza has called for you immediately. Apparently there is an emergency."

"Emergency?" Bulma got out of bed, yawning. She was still incredibly tired. "It's way too early for Frieza to even be awake."

"I believe someone was captured and brought aboard the ship. Frieza wants to question them immediately."

Bulma's eyes narrowed as she put on a simple tunic. She took a single glance at herself in the mirror. She noticed that the small bald spot on the left side of her head was red with irritation. She touched it and immediately felt the pain. She did not dwell too long on it when she noticed something about her hair. The roots were blue. Bulma clawed through her hair to see that it was the same all over. Only Kinomi's voice brought her out of her stupor.

"Blue, let's go. I don't want to hear Frieza's mouth. Besides, the longer you wait the more irritated he'll be and the more likely someone will die a slow, painful death," she said. As usual, she sounded less than pleased with the situation. Bulma nodded numbly and tore herself away from the mirror.

Frieza was actually standing when Bulma and Kinomi arrived. Kinomi was yawning again and Bulma was rubbing her eyes. Frieza immediately beckoned them over. The moment Bulma got in front of him he grabbed her by the arm. Bulma was taken by surprise and almost fell into him. "We have some  _revolutionaries_  in our midst, Bulma." He turned her around to face the prisoners.

They were odd creatures. They looked more like animals. One had a snout and the other was small and had a tail. The smaller one looked like it wanted to cry. It was literally shaking with the unshed tears gleaming in its eyes. Bulma could practically feel the fear. "Revolutionaries? They look like pets to me," she said.

"Pets? They seem to not want to talk to me. Maybe you can get something out of them." Frieza released her while pushing her forward.

Bulma walked towards the imprisoned creatures. From their thoughts, she could gather that they were indeed terrified. She took a deep breath and let their thoughts in. After a moment of tense silence, Bulma pointed to the one with the snout. "His name is Oolong. He's from Earth. This one is called Puar and he's also from Earth. They're both shape-shifters and they run a delivery service," she said quietly.

The overlord hummed low in his throat. "Delivery service? So they carry packages around?"

"That seems to be the gist of what they do. They are not revolutionaries. They only send the packages. Look at them. They're hardly these rebels that you speak of, Frieza. They just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," Bulma responded. She faced Frieza and crossed her arms.

Frieza was not pleased with Bulma's words. She had no reason to lie to him and and the one time she did, the consequences were so bad that she had not done it since. He looked past her and down at the prisoners. "If you have nothing to hide, then you won't mind us taking a look at your cargo, would you?" he asked. The two shook their heads fervently. Frieza motioned for a Dodoria to leave. The two captives moved to follow but Frieza's voice halted them. "You two stay here. This shouldn't take long. Then you may be on your merry way. Bulma, you may leave."

Bulma felt sorry for Puar and Oolong. They really were not part of any rebel force. They had been simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. She silently hoped there was nothing incriminating on their ship. Then she mentally chuckled.  _Frieza would kill them simply for wasting his oh-so-precious time. He's looking for a reason to shed blood today_ , she mused.

When she reached her quarters, Bulma went directly back to her bedroom. When she opened the door, she paused. Kinomi noticed her hesitation and came up behind Bulma, ready to defend her at a moment's notice. The Saiyan princess relaxed when she noticed what Bulma was staring at: a dress.

"It arrived after you left to go see Lord Frieza." Rika walked up behind the two. The courier just said it was a gift. It bore Lord Frieza's insignia so I assume it is genuine," she said.

Kinomi rolled her eyes and walked up to the bed. She picked up the dress and examined it. "Not exactly  _modest_  attire," she mumbled.

Bulma rolled her eyes and sauntered over to Kinomi. She took the dress from her guardian and looked it over. "Frieza seems to like me personifying  _look but don't touch_. He just likes to flaunt me in front of his allies and men. He does it mainly to see who will get out of line," she said. She saw the strange look Kinomi was giving her. "He needs something to kill every now and then. He doesn't need a reason to do it, but he likes giving his men the impression that there is a reason for his ultimately unnecessary bloodshed."

"And I thought Saiyan bloodlust was bad..."

Bulma smiled at Kinomi as she continued to look over the blue dress. The color alone was a sharp departure from what Frieza usually sent her to wear. Her wardrobe consisted mostly of white and black clothing. The dress was made of some sort of silk material. It had two long slits up the front that would go over either leg. It was sleeveless and Bulma could only imagine how tight it would fit across her chest.  _What will it take for Frieza to notice I'm not flat-chested_?

* * *

Dodoria presented a large box to Frieza. The overlord waved for him to open it. The pink lackey did so and Frieza's eyes widened slightly when he saw what was inside. He looked to the two prisoners. "Where were you taking these?" he asked.

"Um, Sato, Lord Frieza," Oolong said.

 _Sato? That planet's practically dead. It's nothing but a penal colony now. Why is someone sending for this kind of merchandise_? Frieza stared at the loot for a few more seconds. He waved his hand again and Dodoria stepped back.

"What should we do with the prisoners, Lord Frieza?" Dodoria asked as he closed the box. Once again, Frieza simply waved his hand. Dodoria nodded towards a few soldiers and the captives were ushered out the room and to their ultimate dooms.

* * *

Kakarrot, Turles, Raditz, Nappa, Tarble, and Chichi sat on a rock formation on a deserted planet. It was a hot and dry planet with mostly desert covering the surface. Due to being close to a relatively dim star, the light was lacking. While the group sat on rocks and talking amongst themselves, their leader was not too far off. The elder prince was in a meditative state, trying to harness his power and clear his mind.

"I wonder what's got Vegeta so riled up," Turles said. "It's not like him to just stop in the middle of a trip without a reason."

"You're right on that one. How is it that he came out of stasis to begin with? Must've been one hell of a dream in order to just snap out of it like that," Raditz concurred.

"Geta doesn't dream in stasis. In fact, Geta says he never dreams," Tarble piped.

Chichi shook her head. "Everyone dreams, Tarble. Though he may never admit it, he does dream. I wonder what he would dream about though..."

"If you were Geta, what would you dream about?" Tarble inquired. The answer was simple enough, though no one said it. If they were Vegeta, the only thing they would dream about every time they closed their eyes to sleep was revenge.

Vegeta's meditation was not going well. He was feeling restless and like he was a volcano ready to erupt. His power was fluctuating violently. It was almost as if he needed some sort of release. Seeing how he could not just destroy planets that Frieza kept records of, he needed to find a different form of release. He stood up abruptly, barely noticing how the sand rose with him. "Kakarrot!"

Kakarrot was immediately alert. He got up and flew over to Vegeta. Just as he landed a few meters behind Vegeta, the prince attacked. Kakarrot was quick enough to block and jump back. Clearly the prince wanted to spar. If that was what he wanted, Kakarrot would most definitely oblige.

Turles sighed and reclined on the rocks. "We could be here a while."

The two Saiyans traded blows for a long while, neither getting the edge over the other. Vegeta realized that it was because they were both subconsciously pulling their punches. He finally let a punch fly that was uninhibited. Kakarrot was plainly not ready for it and took it square in his face. The group was immediately alert when they saw Kakarrot skidding across the dunes toward the rock formation they sat on. They all jumped out of the way as Kakarrot cleared a path.

Vegeta stayed in his position and crossed his arms. He still felt off. He released a fair amount of energy into that punch and still he felt like he was going to explode. Scoffing, he turned away at the sight of Chichi helping Kakarrot out of the hole he was in. The prince's thoughts were still on that strange being he'd seen while in his pod. Facing away from his companions, Vegeta began to raise his power.

Tarble's scouter beeped. He turned from watching Kakarrot climb out of the rocks to looking at his brother. As Vegeta's level rose, a blue aura began to surround him. He began glow like a blue flame. Tarble gasped when his brother's power shot past the power level he was recorded as having.  _What the hell_?

* * *

Kinomi stopped her kata when she felt a familiar ki. She looked around the training room. Bulma was slumped against the wall, sleeping soundly. Kinomi started to approach the sleeping girl. She noticed there was a faint glow around Bulma. It was blue.  _The same color as Geta's aura. It's his energy I feel. But how_? Kinomi kneeled down in front of Bulma and reached out to shake her awake. Before she could touch her, the aura surrounding Bulma crackled and flared gold momentarily. Kinomi fell back.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Nappa whispered. He had just seen Vegeta's aura flare gold. It was getting harder to even withstand the pressure the prince's power-up was putting on him. The sand was swirling and stinging them in the face.

"He needs to stop!" Tarble yelled over the sound of the howling wind. "Nappa, he needs to stop! Vegeta can't handle this much energy right now!"

Nappa realized the severity of the situation immediately. The problem was that no one could possibly get close to the prince at the moment. He doubted Vegeta even knew what he was doing consciously. Over the wind he could hear the elder prince's voice as his power just kept going higher and higher.  _He's got to stop_...

"Vegeta!" Kakarrot called to the prince. He tried to get close, bloody nose and all. Every time he tried, Vegeta's aura would just knock him back. "Damnit!"

Vegeta felt something was wrong. Having this much power seemed unnatural to him. It was the same feeling he felt after he trained back on Frieza's ship. He knew he should stop the power up, but he could not rein the power back in. It began to feel as if he was burning on the inside. Vegeta could see the gold light flashing among his aura.  _What the fuck is this? Why can't I stop? What's going on_? Panic began to set in. If he did not stop, he would literally explode.

"Kakarrot, do something!" Chichi yelled.

"I can't get close enough! His aura is too strong!"

Tarble blinked as something caught his eye. Walking up behind his older brother was a wraithlike figure. It reminded him of a ghost. Tarble began to run forward, braving the harsh stinging of Vegeta's aura. Raditz grabbed him before he got too far. "Let me go!" he yelled, but Raditz held him back.

Vegeta gasped as he felt a cool sensation envelope him. His skin stopped burning. He looked down and saw arms wrap about him. He'd seen those arms before. He could feel his energy dropping. It felt like the world was growing dark as his aura started to dissipate. He could almost feel breath on his ear. Something was being said in his ear.

* * *

"Breathe," Bulma whispered right before her eyes opened. She stretched and looked around. She saw Kinomi looking down at her. "I can't believe I dozed off. Are you done for the day already?"

Kinomi stared at Bulma blankly for a moment. She could no longer feel her brother's ki emanating from the other girl. Bulma did not seem to realize what had happened either. Deciding to withhold that information, Kinomi nodded her head. She extended her hand and helped Bulma up. "Do you know how to defend yourself, Blue?"

Bulma giggled. "Aside from willing someone into nonexistence, not really. I've never had to defend myself. If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty sheltered."

"You have tried to escape before. You had to run into some trouble along the way."

"All I had to do for that was steal a weapon. I'm a pretty good pickpocket," Bulma said with a smile.

Kinomi smirked, almost impressed. "Anyhow, I am going to show you how to throw at least a proper punch. Something like that could go a long way." She held up her hands. "Give me your best shot."

Bulma stared at Kinomi's hands. She balled her right fist up and threw a punch right into Kinomi's left hand. She immediately winced. It felt like she had punched a steel wall. Bulma recoiled and looked at her aching knuckles. "What are you made of?"

"Flesh and bone just like you. I'm not that solid. I'm told that I'm still carrying baby fat." Kinomi lowered her hands. She took Bulma's fist and put her fingers in a proper position. "If you punch with your thumb inside your fist, you'll definitely break your thumb. You want to keep that fist tight. Try not to tense up so much. You want this to be a fluid, natural motion. Try again." Kinomi stepped back and put her hands back up.

Once Bulma took another swing, her hand still hurt, but she felt a little bit better about how she made contact. "How was that?"

The Saiyan sighed. "Pitifully weak. It's like your strengths are all in your mind. However, your technique can still be worked on. Come here..."

* * *

Vegeta's body was stiff. They were flying back to Frieza Planet 1 already. The prince was somewhat restless. From what he was told, his power had reached something far beyond what he should be capable of; what he was ready to handle. He'd also broken Kakarrot's nose. Chichi had managed to set it but she was definitely not pleased. Vegeta could not remember clearly how he came down from that power surge. All he could remember was a cool sensation and a soft voice telling him to  _breathe_. Once he exhaled, his power faded and with it his consciousness.

The prince noticed a light blinking. It was a link to Nappa's pod. Vegeta sighed and pressed a button. "What is it, Nappa? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"What happened back there, Vegeta?"

It was not often Nappa got straight to the point.  _The bastard must be concerned about my wellbeing. He's getting too soft_ , Vegeta thought. He crossed his arms and went silent in search of an answer to give Nappa. The problem was that he had no answer. That was not something the proud prince was willingly ready to admit.

"Vegeta?"

"I powered up. That's all I can say." The prince briefly considered telling Nappa about the specter. He immediately thought better of it. Nappa would only start worrying and enter  _bodyguard_  mode. "When we get to Planet One, we will begin serious training again."

"Yes, sir. What about Kinomi? Will she be back on the base?"

Vegeta winced at the thought of his younger sister. He'd almost forgot that she was still on Frieza's flagship. He knew the true reason Frieza gave his sister that new assignment was not because he truly thought Bulma needed a bodyguard. He wanted to keep the Saiyans under his thumb. He wanted to especially keep Vegeta where he could control the prince. "If Frieza docks at Planet One, then we'll see her. Other than that, we will be separated as long as she is taking care of that woman," he replied.

The answer was not one Nappa was satisfied with and Vegeta knew it. However, Nappa did not say anything else on the matter. Vegeta could hear him drift off to sleep. Vegeta stayed awake for a few more minutes, pondering his next move. He needed to get in contact with his informant. Arrangements needed to be made.

* * *

Bulma hated Planet 1. It was Frieza's main base of operations. He'd fashioned himself a castle of sorts on the planet. Bulma could tell that at one point the place had been a cultural phenomenon. Frieza came through and bulldozed the entire planet to suit his needs. That included the mass genocide of the original inhabitants.

The telepath, her bodyguard, and her maid exited the flagship with the mass of people also exiting. Instead of going to the barracks where the vast majority of everyone stayed, Bulma and her crew headed for the palace. Kinomi had been mildly surprised when she found out that Bulma stayed in the palace. Frieza understood enough about his men to know that in order to keep the peace, the Saiyans required their own space. So, they were given what could be termed as a "guest house" to the main palace. The Saiyans had their own home. Kinomi thought she had it pretty good until she saw Bulma's accommodations.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Bulma said as she pushed open the large doors that led to her quarters. Kinomi stepped in first, surveying the place for intruders. Then she took the time to look around. Bulma had what was essentially an apartment. Walking through the door had been like walking into a house. "I could give you a tour if you want. Your things from the ship were brought to your room already."

Kinomi whistled. "You don't know how lucky you are, Blue. Frieza treats you as if you were his own flesh."

Bulma stared at Kinomi for a moment. "Like his own flesh, you say?" Before she could say anything else, Rika tugged on her arm. "Kinomi, apparently I have an appointment with one of Frieza's doctors."

"A doctor's appointment?" Kinomi raised an eyebrow. She did not trust the sound of that in the least. "Is this something you normally do?"

"It's fine. Frieza usually wants me to have a physical whenever I arrive back from a long excursion in space. This will take an hour at the most. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." Bulma was guided out the room by Rika.

Kinomi was not convinced.  _If I could bet any money on it, I'd say these appointments are what's keeping that bald spot on her head_.

* * *

The doctor was an old alien with what looked like gills on the side of his head. When Bulma walked in the exam room, she saw him preparing by putting on a pair of gloves. She moved quietly over to the exam table and sat down on it. She'd never seen the doctor wear gloves before so she was immediately apprehensive about what this appointment included.

"Dress down please," the doctor said without looking at Bulma.

Bulma jumped as the door shut behind her. "Dress down? Why?"

Orcus, the doctor, faced Bulma. "Lord Frieza has asked me to check on a few things. Dress down and lay back on the table. You may cover yourself with a blanket, but I need your knees spread and up." Orcus spoke as if none of these things was out of the ordinary.

The telepath was having none of that. "And just what is between my knees that  _ **LORD**_  Frieza is so concerned about? There is nothing there that he needs to know about," Bulma spat. She crossed her arms, determined not give in to Frieza's silly request.

"I thought you might say something like that," Orcus said blandly. It took Bulma only a moment to smell the gas that was leaking into the sealed room. She took a step back to attempt to leave the room, but her consciousness began to slip. She could see Orcus approaching her. Bulma tried to sidestep him. The moment her foot hit the ground, she blacked out completely.

* * *

The first thing Vegeta felt when he stepped out of his pod was the headache. The headaches were coming more frequently and each time they were more painful. They never lasted too long, but they were just very annoying. The pain had not reached a completely agonizing point where Vegeta could not function. They were just a nagging inconvenience. The headaches also did nothing to improve his mood.

 _Time to find Kinomi_ , Vegeta thought as he walked off away from his pack. They barely noticed the prince leave as they discussed dinner plans for the evening.

* * *

Seeing Bulma return to her quarters unconscious was a bit unnerving for Kinomi. The shady attendants did not make her feel any better about it, either. She watched them deposit Bulma in her bedroom then left as soon as they came, not saying if anything was wrong. Kinomi looked immediately to Rika. "Well?"

Rika was a bit startled by Kinomi's sudden inquiry. "She was just at the doctor. She should wake up within the hour. This is quite normal. Bulma never returns conscious," she replied plainly.

"And why not? She only goes there for what amounts to a physical, right?" Kinomi asked. Rika just looked at her blankly and did not answer. The maiden left the quarters without another word. The Saiyan princess narrowed her eyes and took another look at Bulma. Then she turned and followed Rika out of the quarters.

* * *

"You say she's compatible?" Frieza asked as he looked over the reports from Bulma's appointment to Orcus.

"Yes, my lord. They are a match," Orcus responded timidly. Reporting to Frieza about Bulma's health always made him nervous. He'd been the girl's doctor since she was a child and no matter how many times he gave Frieza his report, he still felt as though one possible hair out of place could send Frieza into a rage and kill him.

However, Frieza seemed happy today. "That is most excellent news," he said as he handed the reports back the doctor. "Good work, Orcus. Make sure she stays in good health. If she so much as sneezes I want her medicated immediately."

"Yes, my lord." Orcus hurried and rushed out of the room. Frieza's moods could change on a whim. Just as he was leaving, Kinomi was barging in.

Frieza seemed mildly surprised to see the young princess. She never came to see him on her own, so it really was a genuine shocker when she just appeared. "And what can I do for you, little one?"

Kinomi held her tongue at the annoying moniker and took a deep breath before speaking. She hated asking permission for anything, but if she wanted to stay in good favor with Frieza she had to at least let him know where she was taking her charge. "I want to dine with my kin tonight. "

The overlord crossed his arms and walked toward Kinomi. "You have a peculiar way of always weaving around asking for anything. Instead, you state your intentions and hope for some sort of acquiescence." He stopped in front of her. He looked her over for a moment. "You are still carrying a decent bit of weight from your youth. I guess Saiyan women don't mature as fast as the men do. You may dine with the rest of that filth you call  _kin_. Just don't leave Bulma alone."

"I didn't plan to." Kinomi smirked and left the room without so much as a simple thanks.

As she was making her way back to Bulma's wing of the fortress, she was pulled to the side. Kinomi got ready to fight but her attack was stopped when she realized who held her. She faced her older brother completely. Vegeta seemed a bit tired but none the worse for wear. He gave her a quick nod and walked away. Kinomi started going in the opposite direction. She waited patiently for her brother to speak to her.

 _How is your job going_? Vegeta asked.

 _About as well as can be expected. Blue is really something special. By the way, I'm bringing her over for dinner at the house_ , Kinomi replied.

Vegeta was a bit shocked by this.  _And Frieza is allowing this_?

 _Yes_.  _I think it's a good idea. Besides, she expressed some interest in getting to know the rest of you. Seems like she's never really had someone to talk to. There's also a lot more to her powers than mind-reading; a whole lot more_ , Kinomi said.

_That doesn't surprise me. Just make sure she won't try anything crazy._

_I think you'll like her, Geta. She's a lot like you_...

* * *

Bulma pulled herself out of unconsciousness. She was back in her room and currently wondering how she got there. Gasping, she immediately sat up as the memories came flooding back to her. Bulma got out of her bed and pulled her tunic off. She threw it to the ground and looked in the vanity mirror. From what she could see, there were no incisions or marks on her body that she was unaware of. She turned and tried to see her back. Just as she turned, the door to her bedroom opened and Kinomi stepped in.

"Nice rack, Blue," she said with a smirk. Bulma reflexively tried to shield her body as Kinomi took a seat on her bed. "A bit late for that, Blue. You've got a pair. I don't know why you don't show them off more."

"Because they're only for me to see." Bulma picked up her tunic and slipped it back on. "I would've thought you were going to eat by now."

Kinomi shrugged. "I'm eating at my place tonight."

Bulma looked at Kinomi. "Your place? In your room?"

"Nope." Kinomi stood up. "We're going to where I really live. You're going to eat with my brethren." She grabbed Bulma's hand and pulled her out the door, ignoring Bulma's cries about how she wasn't properly dressed.

* * *

At the Saiyan house, Vegeta was in a small hidden room. He sat down in front of a desk with communication equipment sitting on top. He turned a radio on and switched through the channels until he came to the proper one. He made sure the line was secure and picked up the mic. "Blue to Yellow," he said.

After a moment, a small noise was heard. " _Yellow here._ "

"I received your intel."

" _That's all well and good. However, I was recently informed that a courier carrying some important contraband was stopped by Frieza's men. Frieza is probably now in possession of said illegal goods_."

"What was it?"

" _Weapon parts, ammunition, medical supplies... That sort of thing. As far as we know, the delivery boys were apprehended as well_."

Vegeta hummed low in his throat. "That means they are probably already dead. Courier services don't usually hire those who are battle ready. They might still be in the bowels of Frieza's ship."

" _Do you think it is possible that you can retrieve what was lost_?"

"No. You'll have to make do without it for now. I can attempt to procure more of the same once I find out what it was Frieza confiscated. That's not all I have to discuss, though."

" _Oh? What else is there_?"

"Kinomi's charge. The woman Frieza keeps around for her powers. Her abilities stretch beyond simply reading minds. Kinomi will give me the full story later."

" _Very well. Signing off_."

Vegeta turned the radio and microphone off. He stood up and left the room just as he heard a commotion from the front of the house. It sounded like Kinomi had arrived by the way Raditz was squealing in pain. Vegeta walked towards the front of the house and leaned against the wall while watching the circus that unfolded before him. Kinomi had Raditz in a headlock. Given her height or lack thereof, Raditz was on his knees. The position they were in looked incredibly awkward for Raditz and by the way he was squirming to get out of it, it seemed uncomfortable as well. Kakarrot and Tarble stood around, laughing at Raditz's misfortune.

"What is all this noise?" Chichi said loudly as she entered from behind Vegeta. She pretended not to see everyone wince at her shrill yell. "Kinomi, you've been back for less than five minutes and already you're causing trouble." She placed her hands on her hips as she looked at Kinomi and Raditz.

The Saiyan princess stared at Chichi blandly for a moment. She calmly released Raditz. "Whatever, Chichi. I brought a guest," Kinomi said. She stepped to the side. Bulma peeked inside the house from behind Kinomi. Rolling her eyes, Kinomi pulled Bulma inside. "This is Bulma."

Bulma stood up straight and straightened her dress on her. "Hi," she said with a wave. The Saiyans stared at the ivory-skinned woman. Bulma felt incredibly small under their gaze. They all held a much more commanding presence than she did.

Surprisingly, it was Raditz who said something first. "You work for Frieza? I had no idea he employed women as anything other than whores. Well, besides Chichi and Kinomi." He stepped up closer to her. "You don't smell like men so I guess he has some other use for...  _ **OW**_!" Raditz cowered as Chichi hit him in the back of his head.

"What Raditz means to say is that you're very pretty. Welcome to our home. My name is Chichi. Come on inside." Chichi took Bulma's hand and began to lead her.

Bulma walked behind Chichi in silence, taking in everything that was around her. Then she noticed Vegeta as they entered a hallway. The prince was not looking up at her. Bulma stared him down for a moment. Just as she passed him, he looked up at her. Their eyes met briefly, startling both of them. The moment passed quickly. Bulma inhaled sharply. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She had no idea that Vegeta was feeling the same way.

_What the hell was that?_


	6. The Rain

Dinner with the Saiyan contingent was eventful for Bulma. While she thought Kinomi had the strangest appetite, she quickly realized that Kinomi's vast appetite paled in comparison to the bottomless pits of the men. Bulma noticed that the twins named Kakarrot and Turles easily put away the most food. There seemed to be a constant war between the two over what food was theirs. Then there was their older brother Raditz who would separate them callously when the bickering got too rowdy.

As Bulma continued to eat, she also watched Kinomi interact with her own twin brother and the one called Chichi. She did not know that Kinomi had a twin. She thought Vegeta was her only sibling. Tarble was almost identical to Vegeta but his features were much softer and less hardened. The teenager seemed almost meek in comparison. Bulma knew he was probably 100 times stronger than her, but he was clearly the weakest among them. He had been watching Bulma like a hawk, something that had immediately begun to annoy Kinomi.

"No matter how hard you stare, she isn't going to burst into flames, Tarble. Quit it. Staring is rude," Kinomi said while smacking him in the back of the head.

"Kinomi!" Tarble pushed his sister. He went back to looking at his food before glancing up at Bulma. Bulma caught his eye and smiled at him. He did not smile back. "You look familiar. I feel like I've seen you before," he said, his voice serious.

Bulma was a bit taken back by the implication. "Well I don't know how you could have seen me before. I'm not allowed out very often. Frieza never lets me go too far."

Kinomi snickered. "Bulma, you're too modest. She's actually tried to escape from Frieza on multiple occasions. The most recent was about a month ago. She took out thirty men," she said.

"Thirty-three," Bulma said quietly just as she continued eating. "It doesn't matter. I've only managed to get to another planet once. My escape was short-lived, as I had landed on a relative of Frieza's home planet. Frieza was strangely hysterical about that particular instance. My punishment had been rather harsh that time too. He must not like that relative."

Everyone except Kinomi seemed a bit startled by Bulma's words. Chichi was the only one who spoke on it. "Frieza punishes you?" Bulma nodded. "What does he do?"

"I have a relatively weak body compared to most of Frieza's soldiers so there's only so much he can do before killing me. His punishments vary from lashes to being hosed down with hot water." Bulma looked up thoughtfully. "It's happened so much I barely feel the pain anymore."

There was a rather awkward silence before the group went back to talking amongst themselves and eating. Bulma just sat and listened to their playful and sometimes lewd banter. Whenever it got too vulgar, Chichi would immediately correct them on it. Bulma found it curious how they treated her in a maternal way even if Chichi could not have been any older than Bulma herself.

Bulma stole a few glances at the quietest person at the table: Vegeta. He seemed engrossed in his food and rarely looked up from his plate. She noticed that unlike his siblings, he wore a perpetual frown. It seemed to be inked into his features; as if there was no other way for him to look. Bulma was pretty sure he had somehow managed to tune everything around him out. She vaguely wondered what he was thinking about. It would be a complete breach of her moral code to read his thoughts without his consent (or approval from Frieza) but she could not help but be intrigued by him. Looking down at her food, she tried to find his string of thoughts.

 _What's wrong_? Bulma noticed that she could not find anything on Vegeta. Even if she was just looking for his mental signature and not his thoughts exclusively, she could not find him. There was nothing there for her to read.  _It wasn't a fluke. I really can't read him at all. How is this even possible? I can read everyone. It's like he doesn't even exist_ , she thought. She must have appeared frustrated when Chichi shook her arm. Bulma jumped and looked over at her.

"Are you feeling okay? You look like you were having digestive problems," Chichi said softly.

Bulma shook her head fervently. Had she really been frowning that noticeably? "No, I'm fine. Thanks." To show Chichi that she was fine, Bulma took another bite of her food with a smile. Her troubles with Vegeta were soon forgotten as she rejoined the conversations.

* * *

After dinner, Kinomi had requested a spar with Raditz outside. Naturally, he'd agreed to it but Chichi had put a halt to that before it even started. Kinomi was not happy about that. "Why the hell not? I haven't had a decent spar in weeks! It's not like Bulma can stand up to my punches. No offense, Blue."

"None taken," Bulma replied with a smile.

Chichi shook her head. "Your  _spars_  with Raditz often become battles of who can tear more of the other's clothes off before you find yourself naked. I will not have you flashing yourself all over the place. You aren't a little girl anymore and that," Chichi gestured to Kinomi's athletic but womanly body, "is quite obvious."

Kinomi looked down at her body. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't spar, Chichi. Besides, how else are we supposed to keep track of who wins each bout?" she inquired.

"Kinomi, I want to talk with you." Everyone turned to see Vegeta standing in the doorway to the house. He had spoken to his sister. However, his eyes were looking at Bulma. She was looking at Kinomi. The moment her eyes shifted to Vegeta, he looked away. The princess sighed and walked over to her brother. They disappeared back inside the house.

Bulma jumped when Turles came up beside her. "You up to watching us spar?" he asked with a smirk. Bulma smiled back and nodded. She followed him and his brothers out further from the house.

* * *

Inside, Kinomi followed Vegeta to his room. She sat on a large chair as he sat on his bed. For a moment, the two just stared at one another in silence. Then Vegeta cleared his throat. "What of your surveillance?"

Kinomi snickered. "So we're calling it surveillance now?" She ran a hand through her hair. "We experimented a little with her powers. After watching her take someone apart at an almost cellular level, I challenged her to try it again. The results were... interesting."

"Just get to the point."

"Okay, okay." Kinomi sat forward and looked directly at Vegeta. "You already know she can read minds. Well, it appears that she can do that without even trying. She can't really turn that power off. So, she has to deliberately keep a wall up so that she isn't overrun with every thought from every person within a certain area. I got her to test out some of her other powers; to try and see if she could repeat what she did to that guy."

"And?"

"I already said the results were interesting. She shattered a glass orb. She can take things apart and put them back together with just her mind. It seemed hard for her to control at first but once she got the hang of it..." Kinomi noticed how narrow her brother's eyes had gotten. "What is it, Geta?"

"She can destroy things with only her mind. Does anyone else know about this particular aspect of her power?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Even she did not realize she could do it until a few weeks ago. I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what she's capable of." Kinomi gave her brother a sneaky look. "You know, she wanted to meet you," she said. She was embellishing what Bulma had said, but she wanted to play with Vegeta. The look on his face was priceless. Kinomi fought the urge to start laughing at him.

Vegeta stared in confusion at his sister.  _Why would she want to meet me? That doesn't make sense_ , he thought. He could tell that Kinomi was enjoying this tidbit of information she dropped on him. He rolled his eyes and looked away from her. He pondered what meeting Bulma would do.  _If I can gain her trust maybe she will ally herself with us. Her powers could be interesting and useful in the long-term_.

"You're not gonna disappoint her, are you?" Kinomi's grin let Vegeta know she was clearly up to no good. He looked away from her and stood up. Kinomi began to call out for her brother as he left. She'd just remembered something else about Bulma. However, she decided it was probably best not to tell him yet.

* * *

Bulma ducked as Kakarrot sailed over her head. He landed a few feet behind her. In less than a second, he was up and flying back towards his twin. Bulma laughed as the two continued their tussle. They moved so fast that it had been hard for Bulma to follow them at first. She did not know how, but she managed to feel their presence through her mind and their movements became clearer. It amazed her how they could move so fast and be in total control.

Turles pounded Kakarrot back into the ground. "You've been kissing a helluva lotta dirt today, brother! Does it ever get boring when I kick your ass?" he taunted with a laugh. He sloppily dodged the blast Kakarrot sent up at him. "Hey! You almost hit me with that!" He flew down to attack his twin once more.

The lavender-haired telepath found it interesting how they could defy the laws of gravity. She'd only seen Frieza, Zarbon, and Dodoria do it without assistance. Kinomi had never flown in front of her, but Bulma had seen how high she could jump. If her compatriots could do it, Bulma was certain Kinomi could as well.

Bulma had not realized she'd zoned out until she heard Kakarrot screaming. She blinked a few times and saw a blue ball of light coming towards her. She knew enough about Frieza's soldiers to know what it was that was coming towards her. Almost simultaneously with her noticing the blast, a figure shielded her body. She clung on to whatever it was in front of her, squeezing her eyes shut.

A blast from Kakarrot should've left Vegeta feeling at the least a bit tingly and his clothes would be singed. Instead of feeling that mild shock, he felt nothing from the attack except the initial contact, which felt like someone simply touching him. This fact seemed strange to him, but he did not dwell on it for too long. He was more concerned with the frail girl that was clinging to him as if her life depended upon it. Her fingers were gripping his shirt and she was near hyperventilating.

"Woman," he said harshly. She flinched and only clung to him tighter. Vegeta should not have been able to feel her fingernails pinching his skin through the fabric of his shirt, but he did. It was in direct conflict of what happened with Kakarrot's attack. He grabbed her by her shoulders as gently as he could manage and pulled her off of him.

He felt cold.

Bulma looked up at Vegeta from her seat on the dusty ground. The ringing in her ears calmed when she met his eyes. She had heard his voice, but could not respond readily. She looked away from him, feeling naked under his gaze. "Don't kill Kakarrot. It was an accident," she murmured as she stared at the ground. Her eyes widened when she realized what she said.

 _She... read my mind_ , Vegeta thought. He released her quickly.

Bulma looked at Vegeta. Once the contact with him was severed, she could no longer hear any of his thoughts. So much was confusing her with this situation. He was looking at her in veiled shock. Slowly, the rest of the world began to come back into play. Chichi and Kakarrot ran over to her.

"I'm so sorry, Bulma! I forgot you were right there!" Kakarrot was close to hysterical. He flinched when Vegeta hit him in his chest. "Ow! What was that for, Vegeta?"

"You dumbass! Do you know what will happen if she so much as skins her knee?" Vegeta yelled at him.

"Vegeta, it's okay. I'm fine," Bulma said quietly. He rounded on her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's okay. I'm not as fragile as you think. I could've... handled that shot from Kakarrot if I'd have been prepared. I was simply caught off guard."

 _At least I think I could have if I tried hard enough_ , she thought.

Vegeta snorted. Bulma blinked a few times. It was the first time she'd seen any other expression on his face. Seeing him almost-smile was intriguing to say the least. He seemed to notice the wonder in her eyes and went back to frowning. "Woman, you would've been cooked like a piece of meat had you taken that blast."

Bulma narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is that so?" She stepped around Vegeta, suddenly feeling empowered. He was not going to demean her abilities. If anything, she had a feeling that she had more to do with Vegeta brushing off that attack than he did. After all, he came into contact with her. She looked at Kakarrot. "Do whatever you just did again, Kakarrot."

Kakarrot gave her the blankest stare he could manage. "What? I'm not going to shoot at you again. Vegeta's right. I could've really hurt you. You aren't strong enough to..." His voice trailed off at the glare Bulma was giving him. She was almost as scary as Chichi with that look in her eye. "Well, if Kinomi doesn't mind, I'll do it. She's your bodyguard."

Bulma looked over at Kinomi. Kinomi glanced her way. She knew she wasn't going to talk Bulma out of this. Vegeta had practically thrown down the gauntlet by calling her weak in so many words.  _She's more like him than I initially thought_ , the Saiyan princess mused.  _I don't want to hear any whining if this goes awry, Blue_.

Bulma blinked when she heard Kinomi talk to her. She smiled at her before turning back to face Kakarrot. He had walked a decent distance away and was now looking at her apprehensively. He raised his hand slowly. In the time it took Bulma to blink, he had sent another attack her way.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow as Kakarrot's attack slowed down to a stop. It came to rest right in front of Bulma's face before splitting into hundreds of thousands of smaller balls. They dotted the area like a starry night sky. After a few moments, they fizzled out into nothing. Bulma turned and faced Vegeta, a smirk on her face. Without a word, she flounced past him and over to Kinomi. The younger girl was giggling at her older brother's face.

Tarble watched as Bulma and Kinomi spoke animatedly about the feat the telepath had accomplished. He looked at his elder brother. Vegeta was almost red in the face, but he did not say anything. Instead, he caught up with Bulma and Kinomi as the two started to head back to the house. He tapped Bulma on the shoulder and she turned to face him. Tarble's eyes widened for a moment and he felt heat rush to his face. Being so close to her was different from staring at her from a distance.  _She's incredibly beautiful_ , he thought.

"Um... How did you do that? Stop Kakarrot's blast, I mean," he said shyly.

The telepath smiled at Tarble. She could tell without even reading him that he was nervous to be so close to her. "A gift I was born with."

"A gift?"

"Yes. My people are... were known for their great mental abilities. Some were far stronger than others. It is said that people from Aoi had the ability to bring out the best in people. We can unlock latent abilities. However, everyone is destined for a special person to awaken. Sometimes we never find our mates," Bulma replied.

Kinomi narrowed her eyes. "So, have you ever found your  _special person_?"

Bulma laughed. "I don't think so. I might never find them, either. There has to be a least a one in a trillion chance that I would cross paths with my chosen. The last thing I remember my parents telling me is that I would find them, but I doubt it," she said. Her voice was cheery, but there was a sad undertone in it.

Vegeta stood with his back to the others as they asked and listened as Bulma told them about where she came from. He went over what she said in the beginning about finding someone to give power to. Vegeta was concerned with that part.  _What if Frieza is that person? What if that's the reason he's been keeping her alive. If I take her out of the picture_... Vegeta faced the others. Bulma was laughing and smiling along with them.  _She doesn't look like she could hurt a fly_.

"If you can read minds, why don't you tell me what Chichi is thinking?" Kakarrot asked sneakily. Chichi slapped his arm.

"I will do no such thing, Kakarrot! A woman's thoughts are very private," Bulma reprimanded. "I only read thoughts when I have to. I never want to intrude on anyone's privacy. That's unethical."

"But you do it for Frieza," Raditz said, an accusatory tone in his voice. Bulma's smile dropped and she nodded. "I take it you don't get a kick out of it."

Bulma looked at him. "Why would I? What I report back to Frieza could mean the death of someone. I don't like sending people to their doom."

"Has it ever occurred to you to lie?" Turles snorted.

The lavender beauty's blue eyes narrowed slightly. "It has and I have. The problem with lying is that I can't control if the person continues to do whatever they were accused of. Seeing how Frieza's soldiers aren't the sharpest tools in the shed," she looked pointedly at Turles, "they're quite likely to be repeat offenders and be brought before Frieza a second time. Essentially, if I lie it will most likely get back to Frieza and I will be punished as well." Bulma turned her head to reveal a scar where her jugular vein would be.

Kinomi's nonchalant expression dropped as she noticed the scar on Bulma's neck. It was right where one would aim to slit the jugular vein. She found it strange that she had never noticed the scar before. "Where did you get such a scar?"

"Frieza is not a fan of deception under any circumstances. His special punishment for that is to slit my throat with his nail and allow me to bleed out right up until the point where I would die. Then he stuffs me in a regeneration tank and doesn't sedate me as I heal. Usually, he doesn't like to see scars, but this one is supposed to be a reminder of what happens when I deceive him."

Vegeta was still facing away from the group, looking towards the incoming clouds. He could hear the silence that befell the group at the news of Frieza's punishment on Bulma. While he could believe Frieza's method of punishment, he could not help but wonder what had kept Bulma alive for so long. From just the short time that she had been touching him, he could feel that if he even grabbed her too hard her bones would snap like brittle twigs. Her body could withstand next to nothing but her mind and will was as strong as they came.

The elder prince turned his body so that he was standing perpendicular to the group. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Bulma. She had gone back to telling the rest of his kin about her strange powers. Every time he looked at her, he felt empowered; as if he could do anything. At the same time, he felt secure and his mind was at ease. It was a disgusting feeling to say the least. After being so accustomed to  _turmoil_ , Vegeta found  _peace_  to be alarmingly unpleasant. Growling, Vegeta turned and walked a few feet before taking off.

The others watched him go while Chichi crossed her arms, annoyed with the prince. "It's just like Vegeta to fly  _towards_  the storms," she said with a sigh.

* * *

Much later that night, Bulma's eyes snapped open. The cold wind had woken her up. She sat up immediately and looked towards her terrace doors. The wind was no longer blowing, but a steady rain began to fall. Bulma got out of bed and walked towards the terrace. She looked down over the edge and smiled.

Little known to many, Bulma had a habit of sneaking out of her chambers in the rain. Frieza's men tended to be lax during rainstorms. The storms were a turn-off for any soldier. One could barely see and the sand of Planet 1 became thick mud that was hard to walk through in boots. It was no trouble for Bulma's tiny bare feet.

The blue-eyed teenager climbed down from her balcony and scurried towards the lush forest behind Frieza's palace. She always wondered why Frieza chose to put her rooms on in the wing where there was a direct trail to the forest. Knowing Frieza, he knew well that Bulma would sneak off. She was positive he had a way to track her. Besides, there were only so many places that were habitable on Planet 1. Frieza would find her if she ever decided to run away.

The thick trees shielded Bulma from a lot of the rain. She maneuvered around in the darkness, knowing how to get to her destination by heart. By the time she arrived to the clearing, the rain had slowed to a drizzle. Bulma, soaked to the bone in her small nightie, walked out towards the misty waterfall. She moved towards it but halted when she saw a dark figure disappear behind the waterfall. Bulma reached out with her mind, but she found nothing.

 _Maybe it was just a trick of the light_ , she thought as she glanced upwards at the clearing night sky. Planet 1 had one tiny moon that reflected what it could from the planet's far off parent star.  _It was probably just a shadow_. Bulma moved out towards the lake and waterfall. Like she always did, she began hopping across the stones to the large rock in the center of the lake. When she got there, she climbed up on the large rock. It had gotten easier the older (and therefore taller) she got, but Bulma still had to work for it.

Once she was atop the giant rock, she turned away from the waterfall and let the wind hit her. Closing her eyes, Bulma swayed slightly. The stronger the wind blew, the drier she became. She vaguely wondered if she was causing the wind. She had a tendency to let her mind wander. "Maybe I am the cause. Whenever I open my mind, things can bend to my will. Maybe even the wind can come under my control," she whispered to herself.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard behind her. Bulma's eyes opened and she turned. She froze where she stood as she watched someone walk out from behind the waterfall.  _Who is it? How did I not know they were there? I should've sensed_... Her questions were answered before she could finish the thought.

* * *

Vegeta was caught by surprise when he saw a pair of glowing blue eyes glaring at him from across the lake. Frieza's mind-reader was standing on the giant rock. Her eyes were wide with shock and then narrowed in recognition. It almost made him angry. If anything, fear should be present in her eyes. He'd caught her out alone.

 _I shouldn't be worried about that. How much did she see_? From her frozen stance, Vegeta could easily deduce that she had not known he was there until she heard his footsteps. As far as he knew, the woman could not sense him by his power. Although he was suppressing it greatly so as to avoid being detected by scouters, he figured that no matter how much he lowered it, she could find him by simply hearing his thoughts.  _But she looks like she truly had no idea I was here_.

"I suppose you're going to drag me back to the fortress, aren't you?" She spoke loud enough for him to hear. She was gripping her skimpy nightshirt as the wind threatened to blow it up. But the wind was playing havoc with her hair, which was in a state of being soaked and dry, giving it a wavy appearance. Her feet were inching to the edge of the rock. It was as though she was seconds away from bolting in the opposite direction.

"You're the omniscient one here, woman. Shouldn't you be able to tell what my next move will be?" Vegeta inquired. He watched Bulma's face contort slightly.

"I do not read minds unless I am told to. I'd rather not know what goes on in the minds of everyone I come across."

"Really? You read mine just fine and without my permission earlier. Where was your ethical stance then?"

Bulma bit her lip. She had no idea why she had been able to read Vegeta's thoughts earlier. After weeks of not being able to pick up so much as static from him, she could suddenly hear how he was going to beat some sense into Kakarrot for his reckless stunt. However, as he stood before her now, she could hear nothing. As far as Bulma was concerned, he was not even standing across the lake from her.

But, she was not going to let him know that. "That was purely accidental. I got caught up in the moment and let my concentration slip," she replied smoothly. He seemed to buy her excuse as he simply crossed his arms and looked away from her. "Well, what are you doing out here? I thought you didn't stay on the fortress grounds."

"That's none of your concern. The real question is why are you out here? My sister will be reprimanded if Frieza finds out you are not in your own rooms. Is it wise to be roaming about in this forest alone? You never know what kind of monsters live here," Vegeta said, his voice just as smooth.

"I've been coming here for years, prince. I come out here when I want to clear my mind. It tends to get tough and I can't take the pain anymore."

Vegeta found himself becoming interested. He wanted to know how her mind worked; all of the power she possessed. What did she mean by  _tough_? She must have kept her word on not reading his thoughts because she did not comment. "Tough? Pain? I doubt your little pampered ass knows a thing about true pain. Frieza treats you like royalty in comparison to the rest of us." The words came out harsh and unforgiving. Vegeta could tell he struck a nerve.

All of a sudden, Bulma felt the overwhelming desire to share everything with him. That feeling was quickly washed away by her anger at being dismissed. This was the second time he'd done that. She climbed down from the rock and hopped across the smaller rocks to Vegeta. He watched her with something that vaguely resembled amusement in his eyes. The moment she was in front of him, just in front of the waterfall, her expression was shielded. Bulma held out her hand. Vegeta looked at her outstretched hand cautiously. She nodded eagerly. After another moment, Vegeta touched her hand.

For a moment, it felt like Vegeta was being held underwater. His hearing became muddled as if his ears were filled with water. After a moment, the feeling passed. The sound of rushing water was replaced with voices. The voices overlapped with one another. Some were loud while others were merely whispers. Some were lascivious and vulgar while others were sad and melancholy. Soon, the noise overwhelmed Vegeta and he released Bulma's hand, nearly throwing her down on the rock.

"What the fuck was that?" His voice was a low growl. "What the hell did you do to me?" He now sounded pained.

Bulma knew immediately that he was not pleased. He clawed blindly at his ears, turning away from her. She immediately felt bad for subjecting him to that. Bulma bit her lip. Being exposed to that much had to be tough. She knew firsthand that it could make one go crazy. She had almost lost herself once the voices started to get louder when she was 10 years old. Bulma knew she had to bring him back to reality somehow.

Vegeta flinched as he felt scrawny arms hook under his own. A small body pressed against him. Suddenly, the feeling of madness calmed but his body stayed tense and trembling. He could not bring his heart rate under control. Vegeta knew if he started panicking that it would only make his condition worse. The feeling was akin to when he had powered up on the deserted planet. "Woman..."

She tightened her hold on him, unwilling to release him until she knew he was okay. "Breathe," she whispered. She felt Vegeta exhale long and slow. His shoulders slumped slightly and the tension was released from his body. "I resent being called a frustrating woman," Bulma retorted quietly. Then her eyes opened wide. She released Vegeta and shuffled back and away from him.

The prince turned and glared at Bulma. "I thought your morality kept you from reading my mind, woman," he said.

Bulma frowned and crossed her arms. "It was an accident." It was frustrating for Bulma. She could only read his mind while touching him. Then, when she did she had no control over it. His thoughts just came in at a steady pace and against her will.

 _What is it about him that I can't control? This isn't fair_ , she thought angrily.

Vegeta watched as she fought within her mind. He wondered if she knew how expressive her features became when she retreated into her own thoughts. He watched her silently for a moment, mildly fascinated with her comical expressions. "Woman, what did you do to me?"

Bulma's eyes flicked over to Vegeta's. Planet 1's moon had shed a little more light on them and she could see his eyes more clearly now. He was staring intently at her, the amusement gone from his features once again. Bulma looked towards the waterfall. "I showed you what I hear day in and day out. When I was younger, I had no control over what I heard. The constant voices in my head nearly drove me insane. I found out that with a little effort, I could push the voices to the back of my mind. It's like constructing a wall. What you heard was only a fraction of what I can hear, though," she replied.

"And why did you feel the need to share that with me? Your plight doesn't concern me."

"You said I am treated like I am royalty and that I don't know pain. Kinomi has said something similar as well." Bulma looked back at Vegeta. "You've been in your fair share of battles. You've killed and have seen others kill. You are no stranger to pain and suffering as you have witnessed it all. But tell me this: have you ever heard the final thoughts of someone right before they die? Have you ever heard what goes through their minds when they cannot voice the indescribable pain they are in? Watching someone be tortured or watching them die is a hell of a lot different from hearing their final thoughts as those acts happen."

Vegeta mulled over what Bulma said. He had no response for her words. The look she was giving him was disconcerting as well. It felt as though she was stripping him down; not physically, but mentally. After a moment, she broke the mental tug-of-war and looked back at the waterfall. He would rather die than admit it, but Vegeta somehow felt much more relaxed around her. He did not expect her to speak anymore.

"I envy you, Vegeta," she whispered. It was not intended for him to hear, but Vegeta's hearing was far above average.

"Envy? I am the last person you should envy, woman," he retorted.

Bulma looked back at him, a sad smile on her face. "Both our planets might have been destroyed. We both lost our kind. Though you may not think it much, I envy you because you are not alone. You have your younger siblings and the others. You are their leader. I'm sure it's a big responsibility that was forced on you, but you don't have to ever be alone in your endeavors. There are people who will fight tooth and nail for you."

Vegeta was taken aback by her words. For the longest, Vegeta had considered himself something of a loner and that his situation was anything but desirable. He was basically a slave to Frieza, but he had more freedom than what was afforded others. Maybe he had taken that for granted.

Here was this girl who was generally in the same boat as him, but she was completely different. Except for a maid who was most likely only there to feed Frieza information on her wellbeing, Bulma was completely alone. While Vegeta was 1 of 8 others who survived his planet's destruction, Bulma was the only one left. She was the last of her kind. She was alone and she was trapped.

Upon first glance, Bulma's plight had seemed somewhat saccharine while still somewhat sour compared to his own dangerous situation. If he took a closer glance, he could tell that Bulma was fighting to keep from losing hope. She knew that every day that passed was one day closer to dying alone and a slave.

Bulma looked up at the sky. Planet 1's moon had disappeared through the trees and the clearing was becoming darker. "I should go back." She started hopping across the rocks to the other side of the pond. About halfway across, she looked back at Vegeta, still smiling. "Maybe I'll see you here again."

Once she was gone, Vegeta punched the solid rock behind the waterfall. A decent-sized crack appeared. Never had he experienced so many different emotions in the span of 30 minutes. What kind of spell had this woman cast upon him? Within that short amount of time, Vegeta underwent serenity, fear, anger, sadness, and warmth. What he felt now paled in comparison to the others. It was not quite guilt or shame, but it was close.

 _I feel like a complete bastard_ , Vegeta thought. He punched the rocks again and a chunk fell out. He'd never felt remorseful. He had not any reason to. Even when disciplining his siblings as children and when they would cry and run to Nappa, he had not felt a twinge of regret. However, now he felt like maybe he should not have misjudged Bulma like he had and said those things to her.

Standing all by himself in the clearing, Vegeta felt as alone as Bulma felt.


	7. Whipped

Bulma and Kinomi ate their breakfast in the mess hall of the fortress the next morning. Kinomi noticed that Bulma seemed oddly lost in thought. Usually the older girl did most of the talking during their meals together. It was strange to see her so quiet. Kinomi could only figure it had something to do with why Bulma sneaked out the night before. She cleared her throat just loud enough to gain Bulma's attention.

"Did you say something?" Bulma asked, looking up at Kinomi.

Kinomi took a bite out of a strange-looking fruit. "I was just wondering about your little excursion last night. It's left you awfully quiet this morning. Nothing bad happened did it?" The Saiyan had to resist laughing at Bulma's face.

"How did you know..."

"Minuscule though it may be, your life force is always detectable as long as you're alive. You'll never be able to hide from me, Blue. Now, are you gonna tell me what's got you so quiet?"

Bulma hummed and looked back down at her plate. They were not alone in the mess hall and anyone could hear them. She doubted it would go over well if anyone knew she'd spoken with Vegeta. She leaned forward, closing the distance between her and Kinomi. "I just met someone out by the waterfall. We had a conversation and it just made me think of my home. That's all." She did not know why she left out the identity of the person she met, but she felt she had to for some reason.

Kinomi stared at Bulma for a moment before taking another bite of the fruit. "I see. Well, don't get too lost in thought. Frieza might ask for you today. A few people just came in this morning."

"Oh joy," Bulma intoned with a roll of her eyes.

* * *

 _He's distracted_ , Kakarrot thought as he punched Vegeta towards the ground. The prince managed to slow his descent enough to only leave imprints of his feet in dust. He looked back up at Kakarrot, clearly disgusted with himself for letting his mind wander.  _And now he's mad_. Kakarrot began fending off the prince. Again, Vegeta's concentration faltered for less than a second. However, that was all the time Kakarrot needed for an opening. He phased behind Vegeta and caught him in a full nelson.

"Let me go, Kakarrot," Vegeta growled.

Kakarrot chuckled, tightening his hold on the struggling prince. "Vegeta, you should be asking yourself how you ended up in this position," he said. He heard the prince mumble something that sounded like a threat by its tone and simply chuckled. Raising an eyebrow, he watched as Vegeta shifted around. Kakarrot heard the distinct  _ **POP**_  of joints being shifted and before he knew it, Vegeta was out of his grasp and kicking him in the stomach. He went careening to the ground.

Vegeta landed a few feet away from Kakarrot. He knew perfectly well how he let Kakarrot best him. Of course, he was not completely  _bested_  but willingly dislocating his shoulders was not something he wanted to resort to on a regular basis. Using his muscles, he fixed his arms.

"It still amazes me how you can do that," Kakarrot said as he stood. He dusted himself off and looked over at Vegeta. "Feel like sharing what's on your mind?" He tested the waters. Getting Vegeta to talk about anything was like pulling teeth.

The prince glared at Kakarrot for a moment before crossing his arms and looking back in the direction of Frieza's fortress. "No," he stated simply.

"You can't keep everything bottled up forever, Vegeta. It'll drive you crazy eventually."

"I have my outlets, Kakarrot. You needn't worry about me. On your guard. We're not through." Before Kakarrot could properly prepare himself, Vegeta was attacking again.

It was not often that Kakarrot let his frustration with the prince show, but this time he did. Seeing the many openings in Vegeta's attacks, he took advantage of one. Before the prince could recover, Kakarrot continued his assault.

Chichi walked outside when she felt Kakarrot's ki spike. It was unlike him to raise his power unless Vegeta did so first. She had been monitoring their spar just in case she needed to intervene. Unusually when she did, it was Vegeta she was pulling off of Kakarrot. This time it was Kakarrot she was knocking off of Vegeta. "What the hell is going on here?" Chichi yelled, putting herself between Kakarrot and Vegeta.

Vegeta stared up at the sky from his spot on the dusty ground. He tuned out the tongue-thrashing Chichi was giving Kakarrot and lost himself in his thoughts. He knew why he could not focus. Narrowing his eyes, he stood up and zoomed past Chichi. Chichi predicted his move and grabbed his fist right before he decked Kakarrot in the jaw. Vegeta cut his eyes to Chichi. Never one to back down, Chichi squeezed his fist, letting him know that his next opponent would be her if he did not stop. While Chichi was significantly weaker than him, her underhandedness rivaled his own. Chichi would find a way to make the fight as miserable and uncomfortable as possible just to teach him a lesson. Vegeta backed off and took to the sky.

Chichi turned back towards Kakarrot and crossed her arms. "What the hell was that about?" she inquired. Kakarrot did not answer immediately, instead choosing to cross his arms childishly and look away from her. "Kakarrot!"

"Something's wrong with him and he's being a dick about it. Life could be so much easier if Vegeta would just  _ **TALK**_  to someone!" Kakarrot yelled back at Chichi. The other woman blinked a few times before smiling. If Vegeta had anything resembling a  _best friend_  it was definitely Kakarrot. Vegeta had his own way of sharing his feelings on things and only Kakarrot knew how to decipher them.

"Kakarrot, you know how Vegeta is. He needs to do things his own way. Although I do agree with you that something has definitely been on his mind lately. All we can do is wait and be there when he needs us to act. Don't push him. Got it?" Chichi looked sternly at Kakarrot. The taller Saiyan pouted but still nodded in agreement.

* * *

Kinomi's ears twitched when she heard footsteps behind her. She extended her senses to feel that Frieza was approaching. She looked towards her lavender-haired charge and saw she was rearranging a bouquet of flowers with her mental abilities.  _We've got company, Blue_ , Kinomi warned.

Bulma blinked, her concentration dropping. The flowers fell in her lap, a jumbled mess. She looked towards Kinomi for answers but before she could ask, she recognized Frieza's thought pattern. Bulma went back to looking as casual as possible. The small but feral dictator made his appearance from around a tree. Bulma did not look his way and instead chose to wait until he addressed her.

"Out in the gardens? You must be in quite the mood to be in here," Frieza said as he approached Bulma.

"Kinomi had never seen them. Besides, it gets boring in my quarters. A change of scenery is always welcome," Bulma said as she arranged the flowers in a more presentable bouquet. She looked over at Frieza to see him leaning against a tree. "What do you want?"

Frieza feigned hurt. "Is it too out of character for me to want to see how one of my favorites is doing? You should know that only two people hold that distinction, Bulma. You should be pleased that I hold you in such esteem," he said.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I'm only your favorite because I make money for you. Now, what do you want?"

Kinomi swallowed a chuckle. She knew she stretched the limits of what tone of voice she could take with Frieza but Bulma was like her brother; they just didn't care how they sounded when the spoke to the most feared being in the galaxy. It amazed her to no end. If she gave Frieza a look that even spoke of insubordination she would be punished.

Frieza did notice Kinomi's small chortle but chose to ignore it. Instead, he inhaled slowly before speaking. "In two days, my father will be here," he replied.

The bouquet fell from Bulma's hands. She looked over at Frieza. "Why?"

"Does that really matter? You aren't still afraid of him, are you?" Frieza chuckled a little after speaking. He watched Bulma roll her eyes and bend to gather the flowers back up. "You don't need to be afraid. You know I'll never let anything happen to you."

"I'm not afraid of anyone, Frieza. Least of all anyone in your bloodline," Bulma retorted sharply.

While Frieza certainly believed what Bulma said to be true, Kinomi was not fooled in the least. Bulma's body language spoke volumes even if her words did not. Something unnerved her greatly about the prospect of seeing Frieza's kin. Kinomi had only heard of Frieza's relatives from Vegeta. She knew that for the most part they were an unsavory bunch and Vegeta made it a point to keep her, Chichi, and Tarble from their sight. Nappa had called them vile and filthy beings. If Nappa called anyone  _vile_  or  _filthy_ , they most likely were nothing short of the scum of the universe.

"I believe you, Bulma. However, he has asked to see you. Be sure to wear that dress I had sent to you earlier." Frieza turned away from her and looked at Kinomi. "You are to attend as well. I don't believe he's ever met you." With a small mischievous smirk, Frieza left the two alone once more.

Once he was gone, Bulma squeezed the flowers in her hands. The stems crushed and the petals fell to her feet. She then threw the damaged bouquet to the ground and got to her feet. Kinomi watched Bulma closely but said nothing. If she was anything like Vegeta, and she was, she would speak on her own.

Bulma whirled around and looked at Kinomi when she was sure Frieza was out of earshot. "I don't want to go anywhere near that man," she said while grinding her teeth together.

"Why? What's wrong with Frieza's father?" Kinomi probably knew that something traumatizing had probably happened with Bulma and Frieza's father, but she wanted to see just how traumatizing it had been. She was not going into meeting with Frieza's kin with high expectations other than the expectation that they were either as bad as or worse than Frieza himself.

"He... is just scary." Bulma did not seem to want to elaborate on her experience with Frieza's kin. Kinomi simply nodded, not wanting to push the boundaries of the new trust Bulma had in her just yet. She had a feeling that if she waited long enough, Bulma would eventually tell her on her own.

The thoughts racing through Bulma's mind were the furthest from that, though. Instead, she was once again plotting. The memories of her experience with Cold, Frieza's father, were still fresh. For years she'd kept them locked away, but sometimes she still had the nightmares.  _I haven't had one in months though. Why now is he coming? What does he want_? Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a panic attack coming. She needed to calm down.  _Something must be done_.

* * *

Vegeta found himself walking the grounds of Frieza's fortress. It had not been what he wanted to do, but somehow his flight had taken him back to the fortress. He was not ready to return home just to hear Chichi screech at him. He was not nearly in the mood to effectively ignore her and it would all just end in a big fight and screaming match.

Roaming the grounds, Vegeta could sense his sister and her ward clear on the other side. He came across a group of women being ushered around by some soldiers. By the way they were dressed, Vegeta could tell they were concubines. Concubines were a commodity that he did not partake in. The stories he heard of men being robbed blind and on some occasions killed by vengeful concubines was enough to deter him from ever seeking them out. However, one concubine caught his eye. She was blonde with piercing blue eyes. By the way she was dressed, Vegeta knew she held some importance among the ranks as far as concubines went. He stopped walking and watched the scene while leaning against a wall.

The blonde spotted him not long after he started watching them. Something about her seemed familiar, but Vegeta could not quite place it. He narrowed his eyes when she left the group of girls to come over to him. She was fully clothed with flowing robes of silk on. Vegeta figured she was hiding a weapon somewhere on her person. When she stopped in front of him, he said nothing and waited on her to address him.

"You're even more handsome than I've been led to believe, Prince Vegeta," she said.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that so? Your flattery is unnecessary."

"I was not flattering you. I was simply stating a fact." She crossed her arms. "I can say that your voice is definitely different, though."

The prince's eyes went from mild shock to suspicious with their narrowing. "What?"

The blonde stepped up closer to him. She moved slowly so as not to seem threatening. When she was close to enough, she leaned forward towards his left ear. "You do not recognize my voice,  _Blue_?" she whispered. She stepped back immediately, avoiding Vegeta as he reached for her. Smiling, she turned around to walk back to her group of ladies. "I'll make sure to give you the best services my ladies can offer, Prince Vegeta." She spoke loud enough for everyone in the area to hear. She made it seem as though Vegeta had propositioned her. He took it to mean something totally different.

 _Those holograms are not nearly accurate enough. I would've never guessed she was Yellow simply by her hair. Still, what the hell is she doing here_?

Vegeta did not mull over his thoughts long. He was quick to notice the distressed energy radiating from near his sister. Frieza had just been in that area so he figured it had something to do with Bulma. He found it strange that he could pick her out so clearly. Shaking his head, he turned and headed out of the fortress. Just as he stepped outside, Cui walked up to him.

"Well if it isn't the little prince. My how you've... grown," Cui said with a small snicker.

"Why are you here, Cui? Shouldn't you be up Cold's ass and cleaning all the leftover shit right now?" Vegeta responded in kind. His tone said that he was completely serious in what one would usually laugh at. Cui's smirk died immediately and Vegeta counted that as a win.

"You'd do well to watch your tone with those that outrank you."

"If licking the balls of one of Frieza's kind is considered  _outranking_  me, then I'll be happy to remain in my current position. Besides, rank has little to do when it comes to power." Vegeta looked Cui over once. "You're not even a workout for me any longer. Too much asskissing has left you in my wake. I'm not sure how Cold will feel knowing he has such a weakling working under him."

Cui's smirk returned to his face. "You'll have an opportunity to tell him in a couple of days." Vegeta paused mid-step and faced Cui again. "He will be coming for a little visit along with Cooler. Perhaps you and Cooler could... catch up." The purple alien let out a cackle and turned away from Vegeta, entering the fortress as Vegeta left.

The Saiyan prince was not pleased in the least. The last person he wanted to see was Frieza's older brother Cooler. This turn of events would definitely put a damper on his plans for the next few days. He would have to rush his audience with  _Yellow_.

* * *

_Bulma stood before Frieza's father, Cold. She was nervously shifting from foot to foot as he watched her. She had no idea why Frieza had left her alone with this man. He reminded her of a taller, more muscular Frieza. Cold even had the same creepy smile Frieza did. He sat in the large armchair, holding a glass of wine and still smiling at her. It took all of Bulma's will not to turn and bolt out of the room without looking back._

_"You look frightened, child. Why would a pretty thing like you be scared? I don't scare you, do I?" Cold asked. He stood up and slowly began to approach Bulma._

_Inching back a little, Bulma twisted the hem of her dress in her hands. She hated how skinny she was. She could tell it was painfully obvious that her knees were shaking. She shook her head fervently in response to Cold's question. "I'm not afraid, sir," she finally answered verbally._

_Cold stopped right in front of Bulma. He towered over her. She inched back a little more as he knelt down to her level. "You're such a pretty girl, Bulma. Your hair," Cold took a lock of it between his fingers, "is such a beautiful shade of purple. You know purple is a color of royalty." He released her hair and took her chin in his much larger fingers. Cold lifted Bulma's head in order for him to look her in the eyes._

_She felt her eyes involuntarily begin to water. She did not want to cry, but the irrational fear she felt at the moment was taking over her. The moment he touched her skin, she felt extremely dirty. She wanted to know what he was going to do to her. Squeezing her eyes shut, Bulma tentatively read Cold's thoughts._

_To say Bulma's sudden movement away from him startled Cold was an understatement. She nearly made him spill his wine. Bulma stumbled back towards the wall. Cold found the doe-eyed girl staring at him with even more fear in her eyes. "What's wrong, child?"_

_"You... You... I won't let you do it. St-St-St-Stay away from m-m-me," Bulma stammered out. "I'll tell Frieza." Even though she had a feeling that Frieza probably knew what his father had in mind for her, she threw the threat out there anyway. Predictably, Cold laughed in her face._

_"You're a very entertaining child. I'm glad there's a bit of feistiness in you. I was never one for submissive types." Cold sat his wine glass down and walked over to Bulma again. She watched him with tears running down her face. "How old are you, child?"_

_"Th-Th-Thirteen," Bulma stuttered. Just as Cold reached for her, Bulma used her smaller size to her advantage and ducked beneath his arm. She took off towards the door across the room. She'd barely taken four steps before Cold grabbed her from behind. "Please let me go!" She struggled but her efforts were fruitless._

_"But we haven't even gotten to know each other," Cold whispered in her ear as the young girl clawed and scratched at his arm. The attacks barely registered as minor itches. Smirking, he pulled the girl closer to his body. "Now, let's have a little... talk."_

* * *

Vegeta did not realize he was screaming until he rolled off his bed and onto the floor. His room was still pitch black. He brought himself under control quickly, but he'd already woken up the house. Before Vegeta could climb back into bed, Nappa and Kakarrot were fighting to get through his door first. Tarble slipped between the two and ran over to his brother.

"Geta, what's wrong? Why are you..." Tarble barely dodged Vegeta's arm as it shot out to fling him away. "Geta?"

"Don't call me that," Vegeta growled. His head was aching and the noise Kakarrot and Nappa were making was starting to grate on his nerves. He got to his feet and glared at the two men. The moment they caught his look, they settled down.

"What's all this commotion?" Chichi pushed her way through Kakarrot and Nappa while yawning. "Is everything all right?" She looked at Vegeta and Tarble.

Tarble glanced over at his brother. Vegeta was clearly  _ **NOT**_  all right, but he would not say it. The younger prince rolled his eyes at the stubbornness his brother clung to. "Everything is fine. I suppose Geta had a...  _nightmare_ ," he said. Tarble crossed his arms and left with his nose in the air. He knew he would pay for that comment later. If there was one thing Vegeta hated it was discussion about his dreams. Everyone knew he had occasional nightmares, but no one ever addressed it.

Vegeta made a mental note to beat Tarble into a pulp in training later that day but said nothing in rebuttal. He looked at Chichi, who had somehow shooed Nappa and Kakarrot away. "I'm fine," he said as he climbed back in his bed.

Chichi sighed and watched him in silence for a moment. "If you say so." She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Once she was gone, Vegeta retreated into his thoughts. What he had  _dreamt_  was most likely not a dream at all. It was definitely a memory. It had seemed too lucid and real to be a simple nightmare.  _A memory that became a nightmare_ , he thought. But why was he seeing Bulma's memories? She was not Saiyan and he had no mental bond with her. The only person who's nightmares he ever saw were Tarble's when the boy was young.

Why would he see someone who is not even of the same species as him?

* * *

Kinomi was confused. She found herself in the awkward position of comforting someone else. She had never had to comfort anyone before. She did not even comfort her own twin. She left that up to Chichi. She was far better at it than Kinomi could ever hope to be. But at the moment, the lavender-haired telepath was clinging to her as if she would fade away. Kinomi did only what she'd seen Chichi do: offer her arms as a means of consolation.

Bulma's cries had brought Kinomi back to the conscious plane. She was in Bulma's bedroom less than two seconds later. When she got there, she realized that cries were not what she heard. Kinomi had never heard a more terrifying scream. It sounded as if Bulma was either being ripped limb from limb or tortured. It was anguish and agony she heard. When she shook Bulma awake, the older girl's arms shot out to defend herself. Kinomi was fast enough to dodge them but Bulma had managed to tag her in the chest once. Kinomi felt it far more than she should have.

Once Bulma had woken up from her screaming, she started sobbing and clung to Kinomi. It was in that position that they now sat. Bulma's crying had stopped, but she had not released Kinomi from her death grip.

 _What the hell frightened her so much? What had she been dreaming about_? Kinomi looked down at Bulma when she heard a soft snore. Sighing, she pried Bulma from her body and laid her back down in the bed. She'd literally cried herself to sleep. Kinomi stood and left the room.

About 10 minutes after Kinomi left, Bulma's eyes opened. She slipped out of bed, dressed quickly, and left the quarters.

* * *

The entire Saiyan contingent was called to Frieza the next morning. No one was quite prepared for the chaos that was in the fortress. Overnight, there seemed to be a surplus of dead bodies lying about. When they heard where they had to report, the Saiyans grew wary: the Hollow on Planet 1. That was the name of Frieza's personal torture chamber. Somehow, Vegeta was less than surprised for the sight that awaited them.

Bulma and Kinomi on either side of Frieza. Kinomi looked as though she had been smacked around a few times, but other than that she was fine. Bulma's face was red and puffy as if she'd been crying. It did not take a scientist to figure out what the situation here was.

"Ah, your kin has arrived, little one. Are you not happy to see them?" Frieza looked at Kinomi. The girl did not respond in any way. Ignoring her lack of reaction, Frieza glanced out at the rest of the Saiyans. "I'm sure you all saw the destruction Bulma left in her wake. I daresay this is the shortest amount of time between escape attempts that there has ever been. Usually Bulma waits at least six months. It's barely been two."

Chichi decided immediately that Frieza was extremely angry. For all the faux affability he put off, anyone with the slightest bit of sense could see Frieza was beyond incensed. The way Bulma held her head showed that she knew something they did not.

"I was thinking of a fitting punishment for Bulma. Nothing I do seems to work. Once I set aside my initial anger at the situation, I had a small moment of clarity. I realized that this could've all been avoided if someone," Frieza wrapped his tail around Kinomi's neck and slammed her into the floor, "had been doing their job."

Tarble jumped at seeing his sister being manhandled in such a way. Frieza's tail released her and she rolled over. There was a gash on her head. It was a miracle she had not cracked her skull. Kinomi attempted to get to her feet but gave up from her dizziness. She settled for sitting on her knees.

"A bodyguard is supposed to look after their charge. Little one, you failed me in this." Frieza walked forward and grabbed Kinomi by the chin, making her look at him. "Your brother knows very well the punishment I give for failures. Vegeta," he called.

Bulma tore her eyes from the floor and looked at Vegeta. His face was set hard like stone. He appeared indifferent to the situation, but Bulma knew he was anything but. Bulma had never gotten anyone else in trouble. Blinded by her fright, it had completely escaped her that Kinomi would get in trouble along with her if she ever tried to run. Bulma was afraid. She was afraid not for herself but for Kinomi. She had no idea what Frieza was going to do.

"Yes?" Vegeta answered nonchalantly.

Frieza smiled at the prince. He held out his hand and one of the servants handed him a whip. Regular whips did nothing to a Saiyan. The whip Frieza gave Vegeta was adorned with razor-sharp thorns that were sharp enough to whip directly through a Saiyan's hardened skin. "Take this and punish the little one." Frieza held out the whip to Vegeta.

"Frieza, no! It's my fault! It should be me getting punished, not Kinomi! Please don't do this! Don't make him do this!" Bulma got to her feet, pleading to Frieza. "Please!"

"Now, now Bulma. A lesson needs to be learned here." Frieza looked at her. "These are the consequences of your actions. Maybe you'll think twice next time you decide to  _run_."

Bulma watched as Vegeta unraveled the whip. Kinomi glared hard at her brother before standing and turning with her back facing him. Bulma's eyes began to water. She'd seen plenty of punishments and deaths before, but never to someone she knew. Never to someone she considered a friend.

 _He's not seriously gonna do this, is he_? Kakarrot sent the question out to anyone who was listening.

 _What choice does he have, idiot? He can't exactly say that he won't do it. Knowing Frieza, he'll just kill her. Then where would we be_? Nappa responded. He noticed Tarble looking down at the floor.  _Don't look away, boy. Do not show weakness_ , he said.

Tarble begrudgingly looked up at his twin. She was squeezing her fists together and holding her head up. Her entire body was tense, but she was going to endure the pain with her head held high.  _It'll be okay, Nomi_.

 _Shut up, asshole_. Her words were harsh but Tarble could hear them waver ever-so-slightly. Even her mind's voice was trembling for what was about to come.

Vegeta sighed. "How many lashes?"

"What is the amount I usually gave you?" Frieza replied with a sick smile.

The prince rolled his eyes.  _Twenty lashes. Are you ready_? He watched his sister squeeze her fists tighter. He didn't see the blur of lavender until it was too late.

Kinomi's eyes widened as she heard the sound of the whip cracking, but felt nothing. Then she felt small hands grasp her shoulders. The whip had ripped through Bulma's tunic like scissors. The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced. The scream that should have accompanied such an attack was caught in Bulma's throat. Kinomi turned her head. "Bulma, what the fuck are you doing?" she yelled at her.

Vegeta stopped before he swung again. Normally it would take at least three lashes before he broke the skin. Bulma's body was clearly more fragile than he could have ever imagined. Then it dawned on him that the girl had thrown herself in front of his sister.  _Why would she do that? What the hell is going on in her mind_?

Frieza's eyes narrowed. "I did not tell you to stop, Vegeta," he stated.

"This could potentially kill the woman, Frieza. Her body is far too frail to..."

"I said  _I did not tell you to stop, Vegeta_ ," Frieza repeated, his voice far firmer and leaving no room for discussion or rebuttal.

Vegeta squeezed the whip in his hand.  _I do not understand this woman_ , he thought as he raised the whip once more.

She managed to hold it in for a while, but on the 8th lash, Bulma let out a bloodcurdling scream that made even Vegeta's stomach turn. Her back was completely bare except for the blood that seemed to be pouring out of her wounds. By the 15th lash, Bulma had slid down to her knees. Her voice had given out and all she could do was silently cry to herself. Her arms trembled as she fought to keep herself from collapsing on the dirty floor.

When he was done, Vegeta tossed the whip to the ground. Seeing Bulma struggling to keep from crumpling to the floor made him nauseous for some reason. He saw his sister whirl around to look at the girl. Her eyes widened in what appeared to be horror. Vegeta knew blood and the horrors of war were the last things to make Kinomi squeamish. So why did she look so concerned for the lavender-haired girl?

"You are a fucking idiot, Blue. Look at you," Kinomi whispered as she examined Bulma's back. The flesh was literally stripped from her and she was sitting in her own blood. Her tunic was all but destroyed and it was barely staying up on her.

Bulma managed to look up slowly and gave Kinomi a weak smile. "I'll be all right. I'm a trooper," she barely whispered. She was still trembling.

"Her punishment is not over," Frieza said, bringing everyone back to look at him. "Bulma still hasn't received her own punishment."

"You can't be serious, Frieza! Look at her! Do you want to kill her? She'll die if you..." Kinomi's face snapped to the side as a hand crossed her face. She looked up to see Vegeta standing over her. "Why did you strike me?"

"Shut up. You have no right to speak on how Frieza punishes the woman. Get up," Vegeta said.

Frieza smirked. "I'm glad you see it my way, Vegeta. Now, if you'd be so kind as to place Bulma in those shackles. Make sure her back is facing me." He pointed to rusty metal shackles on the far wall.

Vegeta looked down at the woman Kinomi was cradling. His sister stared at him, daring him to try and take Bulma from her. "Kakarrot, restrain her."

Kakarrot's frowned deeply, but he moved forward. Kinomi screamed and scratched at him, but he managed to get her to release Bulma and held her back. He watched Vegeta pull Bulma to her feet roughly. Though his movements were callous, Kakarrot saw in Vegeta's hardened eyes that even he thought this was wrong. Kinomi was screaming all kinds of threats at him and using her legs to try and trip him up, but he held her tight.  _Showing Frieza you care is not going to help, Kinomi. Calm down_ , he said to her. Her movements slowed as she realized her fault. She looked at Frieza, who was watching her with a curious eye. She snorted and spat in his direction.

As he chained Bulma to the wall, Vegeta noticed that she'd gone strangely quiet. He looked down at her to see her eyes closed. She was still breathing, but it was not as labored. As he chained her left arm up, he heard her whisper softly. "What?" he asked quietly.

"Do not feel guilty," Bulma repeated. Once again, she'd unwillingly read his mind during their contact. Bulma offered him a small smile as she read his bewildered thoughts and him calling her a frustrating woman once more. "I am not a frustrating woman."

Frieza did notice the small interaction that the two had, but said nothing as Vegeta walked back towards him. Before he passed him, Frieza grabbed Vegeta's arm. He held out a hose. "Spray her until I tell you to stop."

Bulma started screaming as soon as the water touched her raw back. It was searing hot and only added to the pain she was already feeling. She lost track of how long Vegeta had been spraying her but it felt like an eternity. When it finally stopped, she found she could no longer support herself with her legs. She heard footsteps coming up from behind her. Frieza's tail wrapped around her neck and turned her head to face him. Bulma slowly opened her eyes.

"Perhaps now you will be a good girl," he said quietly. His tail released her. She heard Frieza bark some orders at someone else. By the time she was freed, Bulma had passed out.

* * *

 _Ten hours_ , Kinomi thought as she looked down at the regeneration tank's control panel. Bulma was inside, suspended in a green fluid that was tinged with red from her open wounds.  _Why did you take my place, Blue? You knew you couldn't handle that_. She walked around the machine to look at Bulma's back. The blood had been cleaned somewhat from her and now Kinomi could make out the different lashes. It was hard to believe her skin had once been pristine and without a single blemish.

"Should you be in here?"

"It is my job to watch over her, is it not? I believe I was just punished for not doing so," Kinomi bit out. She turned to face her older brother. "Why are you in here? To see your handiwork?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at what his sister was implying. "You should be thankful it is not you who is in there."

"I would've survived that lashing just fine! She is not as strong as us! She's barely alive thanks to you!"

"You're speaking nonsense. She is the one who threw herself in front of you." Vegeta sounded detached, but he was having a hard time keeping the concern from his face when he saw what he'd done to Kinomi's. There was a large bruise where he had struck her. "I followed orders. That seems to be an incredibly foreign concept to you. Perhaps you should focus your anger into doing your job for once."

Kinomi's eyes widened and she lashed out. She punched her brother so hard that he actually stumbled back a few feet. She inwardly smirked when she saw that she had drawn blood. Her satisfaction gave way to more anger quickly, though. " _Follow orders_ , you say? That's all you do! You talk about how much you hate Frieza and would give anything to destroy him but all you do is kiss his ass! You're no better than Zarbon and Dodoria! This was  _wrong_ , Vegeta! Even for killers like us this was low! All you had to do was put the damn whip down!"

Vegeta most certainly did not appreciate being likened to Zarbon and Dodoria. He was on his sister faster than she could take a breath. He held her against the wall by her neck. "You really believe it is that easy? You think I can just disobey whenever I very well please, don't you? You see what happened to the woman? It is a prime example of what I have been doing to save your ass from Frieza's wrath for years. Who do you think got punished for all those times you fucked up while on a mission? It's never crossed your mind why Frieza seemingly lets you get away with murder? He doesn't, Kinomi. I'm the one who takes the punishment. Not you. Not Nappa. Not Kakarrot. It's me. It's  _ **ALWAYS**_  been me." Vegeta released her and turned his back on her. He left the room without giving Kinomi another glance.


	8. Ice Cold

Chichi was not happy hearing a knock at the door of the Saiyan house. It was very late in the night. She'd just finished cleaning up after the men when the knock came. Frowning, she made her way to the door and opened it. It did not take her long to recognize what she was looking at. "I don't usually allow concubines in here. The guys do that kind of stuff at the fortress."

The woman standing before Chichi removed the hood to her cloak. A head full of blonde hair appeared and blue eyes that almost glowed in the dim light narrowed at Chichi. "I'm not here to pleasure anyone. I'm here to see the prince."

"Vegeta doesn't do concubines. Never has and probably never will. Good night." Chichi started to close the door but the woman's hand stopped it. She was surprisingly strong to hold off Chichi. "Listen, I don't know who..."

"Let her in," Vegeta called from behind her. Chichi glared back at him. She begrudgingly opened the door wider to let the woman in. She did not spare Chichi another glance and headed to where she heard Vegeta's voice.

He waited in the shadowed area of the foyer. The woman, known only as  _Yellow_ , turned and looked pointedly at Chichi. "Is there somewhere more private we can talk?" she asked.

"She knows. It's impossible to keep anything from her. Follow me, both of you." Vegeta turned and headed towards his room. The blonde followed him while Chichi grumbled under her breath but said nothing else.

In Vegeta's room, the blonde watched as Vegeta took a seat on his bed, arms folded and scowl in place. Chichi sat in a chair and watched the two warily. The blonde stayed standing. "My real name is Eighteen. So you don't have to call me  _Yellow_  anymore."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Eighteen? What kind of name is  _Eighteen_?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll tell you in a moment. You can call me Juu. I'm from a planet that was only recently destroyed. Unlike your planet, Frieza did not fear my people. However, he did fear our technology. He enslaved our most prized scientists, my father being one of them. There's a reason my name is a number."

"Oh? What's that reason?"

"My people were called humans. I am an artificial human; an android," Juu said.

Chichi appeared interested now. She looked over Juu. "You're a machine?"

"How can I explain this sufficiently?" Juu appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I'm actually about three-fourths human. Certain parts of my body are artificial. I'm more or less an  _enhanced_  human. I'm stronger, faster, and more resilient. My father made nineteen of us. Only my brother and I got away. If any of my siblings are still alive somewhere, I don't know."

Vegeta nodded, not looking away from Juu. "Why did you come to this particular planet? When I told you to relocate to somewhere inside the empire I did not think you would come to Frieza's home base."

"What better place is there? I believe you said that there is no better place than right under his nose. My ladies are simply a guise for my network of spies. How do you think I know so much? You can always count on those who want power to want one thing," Juu said.

Chichi snorted. "Sex."

Juu looked over at her and nodded. "Precisely. They want sex and they want the best the galaxy has to offer."

Vegeta had to admit that it was a pretty ingenious plan. He could tell from his comrades that they enjoyed the fairer sex from time to time. He knew for a fact that Raditz had loose lips and would ramble on about practically anything if he was drunk enough. He would give the woman he was with at the moment an entire rundown of his day without even thinking.

"How many ladies do you keep?" Chichi asked, breaking the silence that had taken over the room.

"I have a decent-sized network in places around the galaxy. I brought my five best to entertain here for the time being. I'm sure you'll meet them soon. There is a lot more than meets the eye to them. Outside of my courtesan service, there is an extensive network that my brother leads. I do the reconnaissance. He fights the battles and places false trails. His job is to keep Frieza guessing."

"It all sounds like a decent plan. But, how are you going to eventually pull this all together in order to take Frieza down? Eventually, we will have to reveal ourselves and stage a revolution in earnest," Chichi said.

Vegeta closed his eyes and nodded. "That time will come. But we need a solid foundation before anything can happen. We have to be absolutely sure we can win or it will be all for naught. I don't want to instigate anything until we are ready."

Juu nodded as she folded her arms. "Understandable. I'd never want to risk exposing us unless we're ready." She looked over at Chichi. "I trust this will remain between us?"

Chichi shrugged. "I've kept Vegeta's secret this long."

"Very well." Juu turned to leave. Before she got to the door, she glanced back at Vegeta. "What about that girl you told me about? The one that works for Frieza?"

Vegeta's eyes opened. He had been trying desperately not to think of Bulma. "As of right now, she is of no danger to us. She is no more loyal to Frieza than we are."

Juu's eyes narrowed a bit. "And... you believe her?"

Chichi could practically feel Vegeta's uneasiness at the mention of Bulma. When they left the fortress after Frieza's grotesque punishment on Bulma, Vegeta had opted to check on Kinomi. Chichi had monitored their energy through her scouter while their conversation was going on. First Kinomi's rose and then Vegeta's practically exploded. She was sure it did not go unnoticed by the others. When Vegeta returned, he said nothing and holed himself up inside his room all day. Knowing Kinomi and her emotional outbursts, she probably said something that really put Vegeta on edge.

"She is not a concern. If anything, she will be more likely to help us than be a detriment to our cause," Chichi said finally. Juu nodded slowly before turning and leaving. Chichi looked back over at Vegeta. "What did she say?"

He knew she was referring to Kinomi. "It doesn't matter. She'll never say it again."

* * *

Returning to the conscious plane took more effort than Bulma realized. By the time she finally got her eyes to open, she was already exhausted. Although it was day, the drapes over her terrace doors were drawn and the room held a blue tint to it. Underneath the heavy comforter on her bed, Bulma flexed her fingers. She expected to be stiff after healing. While the healing chemicals inside the tanks did their job, they also were harsh on Bulma's body. She sighed as she pulled herself into a sitting position.

"It's about time you woke up," Kinomi said from her spot across the room.

Bulma had not noticed her bodyguard's presence so when Kinomi spoke, she nearly jumped out of her covers. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Kinomi lounging on one of the sofas in Bulma's bedroom. Bulma hugged the covers around her, suddenly conscious of being nude. "How long have I been out?"

"You were in the tank for ten hours. Then you were brought back here and you've been asleep ever since. That maid of yours is gone. She said something about helping Frieza with something. I suppose she's helping with the arrival of... Blue?" Kinomi stopped as she noticed Bulma squeezing her eyes closed. "Blue, what's wrong?"

"He's here," Bulma whispered. She could tell. She glanced back up at Kinomi. The bodyguard nodded. Bulma fisted her hands in the comforter and took a few deep breaths. "I'm not leaving these quarters. We'll take all our meals here until they are gone. I don't want to leave this room."

Kinomi raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you want." She watched Bulma nod fervently. The two lapsed into silence. Kinomi looked away from Bulma and sighed. "Blue?"

"Yeah?"

"Um," Kinomi started as she stood. She walked over to the bed and sat down on it. "If you ever do what you did again, I will kill you myself," she said harshly.

Bulma's eyes widened and she blinked a few times. Then she smiled and giggled a bit. "Sorry for making you worry." Then she remembered Vegeta and her face grew serious. "How's your brother? Vegeta?"

Kinomi's face darkened. "Not happy with me."

"Why wouldn't he be happy with you? You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault you were even put in that position." Bulma watched Kinomi avert her eyes in what looked like shame.

"I said some... insensitive things to him." The Saiyan princess shook her head and cracked a smirk. "Knowing Vegeta, he's probably forgotten about it by now. Doesn't make me feel any less horrible though. He made me feel like a bit of a jackass."

Bulma nodded. She had a feeling she'd done the same thing once to Vegeta. She glanced around the room before finally deciding to get out of the bed. Her joints ached in protest, but Bulma still worked the kinks out of them as she walked around the room to get dressed. Just as she was pulling a tunic over her head, Rika burst into the room.

Rika looked Bulma and Kinomi over. She frowned slightly. "Why are you not dressed, Miss Bulma? Miss Kinomi, you should be dressed as well! The dinner is in ten minutes! Lord Frieza expects both of you to be there."

"Well tell him that Bulma is under the weather. She just woke up and she is still very sore from her recent healing session. Tell him that," Kinomi responded dismissively.

The maid was not having any of that. "Perhaps you have forgotten that Lord Frieza's word is law. You cannot just decide that you do not want to heed his words. It will mean trouble for all three of us. Miss, I implore you. You must come to this dinner," Rika pleaded.

Bulma frowned. She turned her head towards the dress that hung in the closet just past Kinomi. She knew that if she refused Frieza's request that Rika would most likely be punished. While she was not necessarily fond of Rika, she did not want to see another person punished because of her selfish actions. Sighing, Bulma walked into the closet.

Kinomi saw the despondent expression on Bulma's face as she disappeared into her closet. The Saiyan glared at Rika. The maid scurried off to dress herself.  _This night is not going to end well at all_ , she thought.

* * *

Juu looked around at her top girls. Frieza had invited her and said she could bring some of her best along as entertainment for his father, brother, and their right hands. Naturally, she chose the five strongest of her ladies: Mai, Ranfan, Lunch, Zangya, and Hasky. Dressed to impress and seduce, they walked towards the hall where the feast would be taking place.

"Any specific things we're supposed to be doing?" Zangya, a woman with dark teal skin and bright orange hair, asked. While she was one of the more exotic ladies, she was also only second in strength to Juu.

"Yeah. Are we assigned different guys or what?" Hasky, a blonde with bushy short hair, inquired as well.

Juu rolled her eyes. "I would like you to try and get close with Cooler, Zangya. As for the rest of you, pick an asshole and hover around them. Listen to their idle banter and try to take everything in. I'll be observing the event from afar," she said as they came to the doors of the hall. She halted and faced her girls. "Lunch, please try to stay away from anything that will make you sneeze. I need  _sweet_ ,  _innocent_ Lunch today; not  _lascivious_ ,  _murderous_  Lunch."

Violet-haired Lunch blinked a few times. Then as if remembering something, she raised a finger and giggled. "Ok! I remember now! I gotcha!" she said happily as her boss rolled her eyes.

"All right ladies." Juu faced them as they stopped right at the hall's doors. "As they used to say on my planet, it's show time."

* * *

"Why do we have to go to this? We don't work for Cold or Cooler," Turles complained.

"Well, we are some of the highest-ranking officers in Frieza's army. That could be why he requested us to come to this event." Kakarrot looked around them. He noticed they were short one person. "Where's Vegeta?"

Chichi shrugged. "Who knows? He'll be at this stupid event. I do wonder about Kinomi, though. If Bulma isn't up to coming then chances are that she won't either. I don't think Frieza would drag her out to something like this if she isn't feeling better."

"You grossly overestimate Frieza's capacity for anyone's feelings but his own," Raditz said. Chichi turned her head to glare at him. "What? I just told the truth." He shrugged his shoulders. Chichi rolled her eyes and entered the hall.

There were several allies of Frieza milling about the area. Some were being entertained by some of the concubines that had been invited. Chichi spotted Juu on the far wall. She was talking with two relatively important allies of Frieza. The last time Chichi saw Juu, she had been completely covered from head to toe. Now, Juu wore something that was little more than a floor-length, sleeveless piece of sheer adorned with glitter. Nothing was left to the imagination; especially where she was touching the other man with her right hand.

Another roll of her eyes was all the scene earned from Chichi as she headed to the area where the Saiyans would be enjoying the party from. She was not as acquainted with the debauchery involved in one of Frieza's  _gatherings_  as the others were. Vegeta had only recently allowed her to attend a few.

"Let's hurry up and get settled. I don't want to remain here for too long. It makes my skin crawl," Chichi said. She heard Raditz and Nappa laugh a bit at her uneasiness and shoved both of them with her elbows.

* * *

Vegeta walked at an extremely leisurely pace towards the meeting hall. He had no desire to spend any more time than necessary at the meeting. What better way to do that than to be late for it? It also did not help that he felt strangely anxious about the entire affair. His angst was turning into nausea. As he passed the hall that led to the east wing of the fortress, he heard fussing. He immediately recognized one voice.

"Listen, Blue. If you keep acting like a frightened little brat, I'll be forced to smack some sense into you. Unless you tell me why you are so afraid of Cold, I'm inclined to believe that you're just being spoiled," Kinomi said.

Vegeta heard Bulma sigh. "It's shameful," she said quietly. "Let's just say that there's a special place in hell for people like him." The silence after her words let Vegeta know that she was serious. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and went ahead of the two girls.

When he entered the hall, he immediately caught sight of Cooler and Cold. Cold was just a more muscular, taller version of Frieza. Cooler was drinking and talking to a woman with orange hair and a sheer green outfit with glitter. He noticed Vegeta and raised his goblet in salutation, a smirk donning his face. Vegeta simply narrowed her eyes and looked away. He started to head to his kin when Juu came up to him.

"Good evening, Prince Vegeta," she said as she shimmied up to him. Vegeta glared at her for a moment. Juu smirked. "Frieza invited several other guests and requested my ladies for entertainment. As you can see, they're working."

Vegeta nodded and looked back towards the door. Kinomi and Bulma had still not come in. They should have been right behind him. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he glanced around the room. Finally noticing the other people in the room, Vegeta realized that he did not know many of them.

"They are allies of Cold and Cooler. Many of them came to see if they could also do business with Frieza. The Planet Trade Organization is looking into some expansion into farther reaches of the galaxy. My planet, for instance, was considered a  _backwater planet_  by some. That should tell you how much ground they are starting to cover," Juu explained. She stepped up closer to Vegeta. A small chuckle escaped her lips when she noticed how Vegeta tensed slightly. "You're not used to being with a woman, are you?"

Trying to quell the heat in his face, Vegeta crossed his arms. "That's not it. I'm just not used to being so... open about it."

"You should be acting like you're enjoying yourself. So far, I've had the pleasure of being quite standoffish. I do not have the patience to be a concubine. Plus, I like to keep the illusion that I am nothing more than a feeble woman with an incredible body and sex appeal."

"If you were seen as anything more that could prove to be a problem."

"You are correct." Juu got closer, appearing as if she was whispering something to him. "So where is Frieza's princess?" she asked.

Hearing Bulma being referred to as such made Vegeta uncomfortable for reasons unknown to him. Juu seemed to be judging Bulma before they even met; much like how he did initially as well. "Wherever Kinomi is the woman is sure to follow," he responded.

The room hushed a bit when Bulma did make her entrance. Juu noticed Vegeta's pause in movement along with the small catch of his breath. She turned her head to look at the doorway. She too was taken aback by the breathtaking young woman standing there. Juu took note of how morose Bulma appeared. It was as if the girl would rather all eyes not be on her.

* * *

Bulma walked hurriedly to her seat with Kinomi following closely behind. She walked past Frieza, Cold, and Cooler without sparing them a glance. When she reached her seat, she sat down in a huff and stared down at her hands. She jumped when Kinomi sat down beside her. When she realized it was only her bodyguard, Bulma relaxed somewhat.

"Blue, try to relax. You don't have to stay here for too long," Kinomi said quietly. Bulma nodded and took a deep breath.

 _Just relax. Focus on something else_ , Bulma told herself. She looked up and around the room. Frieza's gatherings were nothing new to her. Frieza had practically forced her to attend them since she first came to him. She looked down at the table in front of her and reached for her goblet of wine.  _I'm going to need it if I'm going to relax_.

* * *

Cold watched Bulma as she drank and talked quietly with her bodyguard. Said bodyguard looked quite young. He nudged his youngest son. "Frieza, who is that little one with your witch?"

Frieza rolled his eyes. "Bulma is not a  _witch_ , Father. And that's the monkey prince's younger sister. I can't ever really remember what her name is. Ki-something. Why do you ask?"

"She's adorable."

"Adorable? The little one is many things but  _adorable_  is not a way I would choose to describe her. She'd sooner dismember you than smile for you." Frieza noticed the way his father stared at Kinomi and narrowed his eyes. "I won't have you touching her. I've got Vegeta under my control and I'd rather not have him doing stupid things because you defiled his sister."

"Forget about Father and his fetishes." Cooler glanced over at his brother. "Have you even considered what that old woman told you all those years ago?"

"What are you talking about?"

"That old woman on Aoi; the planet you stole the girl from." Cooler gazed at Bulma for a moment. "She has grown to be quite a pretty young thing. You haven't promised her to anyone, have you?"

Frieza shook his head. An old woman had indeed said something to Frieza before he left Aoi with Bulma. Frieza did not think much of it then and he still did not think much of it now. "Something about finding a match or some such nonsense. I have little interest in  _prophecies_  from dead races. If their prophecies had any truth to them, don't you think they would still be alive?"

Cooler nodded, still looking at Bulma. He picked a small round fruit from a bowl in front of him. "I suppose you are right, brother. However, prophecies don't guarantee the survival of the race; just of the prophesied. Wasn't there also a prophecy of some sort regarding the Saiyans?"

"Yes, but I took care of that problem rather efficiently."

"Yet you kept the most powerful of them alive," Cooler retorted quickly. Frieza gave his brother a scathing glare. Cooler was still looking at Bulma, watching her every move. "All I'm saying is you left the one the prophecy could possibly be talking about alive. What sense did that make?"

"It was a business venture and it has served me well for years. The same with Bulma. Neither of those two poses any sort of threat to me or anyone under my employ."

"Your banter annoys me, boys," Cold interrupted. "I thought business was supposed to be saved for later."

Frieza narrowed his eyes at Cooler once more before facing his father. "Yes. We'll keep business out of this affair for now."

"Great. Now about that little Saiyan..."

* * *

Cooler's staring did not go unnoticed by Vegeta. He immediately noticed the fascination Cooler and Cold had with both his sister and Bulma. He'd never seen the lavender-haired girl so flustered in the short time he'd known her. She seemed so unafraid of him and even Frieza, yet she cowered under the eyes of Frieza's kin. It amazed Vegeta yet it also made him angry.  _She should never cower like that. She isn't a coward_.

"So that's her. I must say that she is quite exotic-looking. I can see why she would appeal to so many. I take it Frieza does not use her as such," Juu's voice interrupted Vegeta's thoughts. She watched him nod slowly. "You say she is of no danger to us. She will not cause us trouble?"

"None that I will not be aware of first. Kinomi has gained her trust." Vegeta tore his eyes away from Bulma and Kinomi to look at Juu. "She is far more dangerous than she lets on."

Juu studied Vegeta's face for a moment before smirking sensually again. "Most women are, Prince Vegeta. I hope we will talk again." She stood up and sauntered away from him to another  _customer_. Vegeta stared after her for a moment before looking over at Kinomi and Buma again. His sister briefly met his eyes. He was still rather ticked with her so he looked away quickly.

* * *

Kinomi sighed as Vegeta averted his eyes. As stubborn as she was, Vegeta could be even more stubborn. She looked away from her brother to see someone approaching them. Purple and fish-faced, Kinomi knew exactly who he was. "Cui."

Cui gave Kinomi and Bulma a wide grin before he came to stop in front of them. "Good evening, little one."

"Don't call me that. I get enough of it from Frieza. I don't need it from a guppy like you." Kinomi rolled her eyes and looked away from him. Cui's grin dropped but he did not go away. Kinomi noticed him lingering and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you with something?"

"Not yet, princess. Not yet." Cui turned and walked away.

Bulma watched him go. Something about his words did not sit well with her. She continued to stare after the purple alien with curious eyes, but she said nothing of her concerns to Kinomi. Instead, she looked towards the entrance to the hall to see the door fly open. It happened so abruptly that it interrupted the entire gathering.

Artificial smoke seeped through the wide doors. As the room fogged up, shadows filtered in and out of the smoke emerged four warriors in weird poses. Bulma and Kinomi watched in stunned silence at the ridiculous display before them. A fifth warrior came through the triangle the other four created with their arms. He was purple, horned, and he looked smug about something.

* * *

"Ginyu," Vegeta growled low in his throat.

Turles snorted. "They still look like a bunch of fucking idiots. Is a prerequisite for joining that group the ability to make yourself look like a total jackass?" He stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth and took a drink of his wine. "There isn't enough money or women in the galaxy to make me want to join those idiots."

"I hear you. What's the purpose of all that posing? Hell, we barely introduce ourselves before we fight someone." Raditz laughed as he too took a swig of his wine.

Kakarrot appeared thoughtful for a moment as he watched the members of the Ginyu Force put on a small performance. "I always introduce myself."

"That's because you're a moron, Kakarrot," Turles said, nudging his twin roughly.

"I'm not a moron!" Kakarrot snatched a piece of bread from his twin. "I think introductions are necessary. What do you think, Chichi?"

Everyone except Vegeta looked at Chichi, though he lent his ear to hear what she had to say. Chichi sipped her wine slowly. She looked towards group of soldiers near the entrance. "I always introduce myself before a one on one fight. Wouldn't you want the person you're about to kill to want to know your name?"

"So they can haunt me from the afterlife? I'll take my chances and remain  _Nameless Saiyan_." Turles and Raditz slapped five while Kakarrot nodded thoughtfully. "What about you, Vegeta?" Turles asked.

Their leader shrugged. "They should already know my name."

* * *

"Who are they?" Bulma whispered to Kinomi as the group of five went over to meet with Frieza and the others.

Kinomi stuffed a few pieces of fruit in her mouth. "The Ginyu Force. They're like Frieza's personal hit squad. I'm surprised you've never heard of them, Blue," she answered.

"I've heard of them. I've just never seen them to put faces to the name. I wonder if we should find it peculiar that they're here." Bulma looked them over. Compared to all the different species in the gallery that she'd seen, the Ginyu Force was definitely nothing to look twice at. The only one that mildly struck her as interesting was the short, fat green one with four eyes. At least Bulma thought they were four eyes.

"Bulma," Frieza called.

Bulma stiffened visibly. She looked up at them and saw Frieza beckoning over to her with his index finger. Next to her, Kinomi stood up. Bulma followed her lead and eventually made her way to Frieza, trembling form and all. "Yes?" she managed to say without her voice cracking.

Frieza did not answer Bulma right away. Instead, he focused on Kinomi. She was just wearing a red version of her usual bodysuit without her armor on. "Little one, why don't you go keep Captain Ginyu company while Bulma talks with us," he said. Kinomi narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She looked over to where Ginyu was lounging. He appeared to already be waiting for her. Inwardly cringing, Kinomi left Bulma's side.

 _Relax, Blue. They can sense your fear. Hold your head up_ , Kinomi said. Bulma nodded in a subtle way and took a deep breath before gazing back at Frieza.

"You called me. What do you want?" Bulma inquired tersely.

Cold feigned shock at her curtness. "I haven't seen you in years and this is the greeting I get? I'm hurt, Bulma," he said.

Bulma did not waste her energy looking in his direction. Instead she kept her eyes trained on Frieza. "What?"

It was not Frieza who responded to her but instead Cold again. "I feel like taking a walk. Why don't you join me?" He stood up. He was so much taller than both Frieza and Cooler but somehow less intimidating. He looked no less sinister and dark, though.

"Since my bodyguard is otherwise occupied, I don't think it is a good idea for me to go where I will not be within her sight." Bulma looked pointedly at Frieza. "She wouldn't be doing her job, would she?"

Frieza caught her words' meaning and smiled. "A valid point you do draw, Bulma. However, I doubt Father will bring any harm to your person. He knows the value you hold to all of us. Why would he hurt you?"

"Perhaps that is a question best asked to him, Frieza."

Cold let out a loud laugh, making all involved in the current conversation look at him. "You've grown into such a spitfire, Bulma. There's such a fierce spirit in you. Last time we met I could barely pull a scream from you let alone a coherent sentence. That Frieza hasn't ripped out your tongue yet speaks to your value to him."

Bulma stared blandly at Cold, her fear of the man gone for the moment. "Trust me. My value has been diminished greatly from what it once was."

Both Frieza and Cooler narrowed their eyes while Cold smirked. Frieza sighed and leaned forward a bit, looking up at Bulma. "Well do me a favor and keep Father entertained. He doesn't bite," he said. Cold took Bulma's right hand. Frieza waved as Cold pulled Bulma out of the room.

Cooler watched them leave with the one known as Zangya still sitting beside him. "Are you entirely sure that's a good idea?"

Frieza reached for his own goblet of wine. "She never did receive her punishment for trying to cut and run on me."

* * *

15 minutes later, Vegeta inhaled so sharply that he choked on his wine. Everyone sitting with him looked his direction. After a few solid hits to his chest, Vegeta righted himself and glared back at the others.

"Geez, Vegeta. Nappa's jokes are awful but they're not  _that_  bad," Turles joked. The rest of the Saiyans laughed lightheartedly and kept eating. Only Chichi noticed Vegeta's slightly troubled look. He gave her a quick look before rising from his seat and leaving the room.

 _What is going on with him_? Chichi frowned as she watched his retreating form disappear through the doors.

* * *

Kinomi looked up from listening to Ginyu's tales about his conquests. She noticed the familiar head of hair that stuck out like a sore thumb was nowhere in sight. Glancing over to Frieza, she noticed that Cold was missing as well. Ignoring Ginyu's calls for her, she stood up and began marching towards Frieza's seat. She was halfway there when a broad chest stopped in front of her. Kinomi had to stop immediately to keep from falling into the person.

"And just where do you think you're going?" It was Raditz. He was guzzling another goblet of wine. When he was done, he looked down at Kinomi. "You're not gonna start any trouble are you?"

The princess crossed her arms. "I won't if you save me from that asshole," she said quietly, subtly gesturing to Ginyu behind her. The captain had already moved on to one of Juu's girls.

Raditz smirked. "You got it, princess."

"Where's Vegeta? I never even noticed him leave." The small one glanced around nervously for her eldest brother. All she saw was Tarble nervously receiving attention from a blonde woman. She rolled her eyes and held in a giggle. Her twin was so gloriously awkward around beautiful women.

"Went somewhere. Didn't say where. He's clearly in one of his  _moods_. You know how he gets. Where'd the purple girl go?"

"It looks like Frieza sent her off with Cold." Kinomi tapped her foot in irritation as she looked past Raditz's body towards Frieza and Cooler. "Why he would send her off with that piece of shit is beyond me."

Raditz snickered. "Don't tell me you're worried about the girl. You never worry about anything."

Kinomi frowned and looked away from Raditz. "She's my charge. I'm supposed to protect her."

* * *

Vegeta's sensitive hearing picked up the furious splashing of water. He continued his unhurried walk towards the small lake with the waterfall without making much noise. As he grew closer, he heard the faint sound of frantic mumbling. Before he stepped through the brush, he stopped short of stepping on a pile of blue. He immediately recognized it as the dress Bulma had been wearing. Vegeta could see the condition the dress was in and left it on the ground. When he stepped through the brush, he paused momentarily.

 _What the hell is she doing_?

Bulma was waist deep in the water with her back to him. She was furiously rubbing at the skin on her arms. It was as if some unseen grime was on her. She was still mumbling incoherently. Vegeta saw the redness of her usually pale skin. She was starting to make her skin raw and eventually she would scrape herself. Vegeta took a step forward without looking and snapped a branch.

The speed in which Bulma turned her head should have snapped her neck. By pure instinct did Vegeta dodge whatever it was she sent at him with her frenzied gaze. Bulma blinked a few times as she watched a large boulder split in half. Vegeta's form came into her line of sight. She could barely believe she lost control like that. "Vegeta..."

"Woman, what the hell are you doing out here alone like this?" Vegeta quickly stood up straight. He glanced at her handiwork with the rock. If he really thought about it, she probably could have bifurcated him. If not, then he would be sporting a large gash right up his middle. He glanced back at her. "Answer me." She was quivering. Vegeta could not tell if it was out of fright or just nervousness.

"I... I'm so dirty. I had to take a bath." Her eyes trailed away from him and down into the water.

"You have a room indoors for that, woman." Vegeta knew he should not care, but he did. It was why he followed her energy outside. It did not dawn on him until that moment that he could no longer feel Cold. "What happened?"

Bulma faced him completely. Luckily for Vegeta, her long hair covered most of her bosom. Vegeta quickly averted his eyes to something other than her anyway. Sighing, he unclipped the cape from his armor and walked towards the bank of the lake. He held out the cape and gestured for her to get out of the water. It took a moment for Bulma to understand what he wanted her to do, but she slowly did it eventually. Vegeta wrapped it around her and made her face him. She was staring down at her feet.

"I think..." Her voice was hoarse. She closed her eyes. The past 30 minutes' events flooded through her mind and she shook her head. "I think I may have done something wrong. I can't really remember too much after I... started screaming."

 _Screaming? Why would she be screaming_? Vegeta pondered.

"You shouldn't have left the fortress. What happens if Cold goes back to Frieza and tells him you ran? You want to get..."

The flood gates seemed to open then. "I told him to stay away from me; to keep his hands to himself! He wouldn't listen! He grabbed me and touched me! All I kept thinking is that  _this cannot happen again! I won't allow it to!_  That's all I kept thinking. I... I..." Bulma shut her eyes again. "I pushed him back. I don't know how but I did. It took the wind out of me. His body went through the wall..." Bulma trailed off again and opened her eyes.

Vegeta could believe everything he was hearing except the part about Bulma pushing Cold through a wall. He could believe that Cold was that much of a bastard as to force himself on a woman. Frieza had to learn his habits from somewhere. "You ran after that?"

Bulma shook her head and began biting her fingernails. "He came back after me and he was mad. Very, very mad." Bulma held out her left arm. Vegeta could see the bruises shaped like handprints. He heard her laugh derisively. "I'm shocked he didn't snap my arm in half."

"That still doesn't explain..."

"I pulled away," she cut him off. "I pulled away again. I don't know how but I did. He grabbed me with his tail." For the first time, Vegeta noticed the dark marks around Bulma's neck and collarbone. "I couldn't breathe but I could see him. All I could think about was how much I wanted to crush his heart."

"So I take it you did."

Bulma shrugged. "I felt his tail loosening until he dropped me on the ground and I broke eye contact. He fell and I got to my feet. I ran all the way..." The adrenaline rush seemed to finally be wearing off for Bulma. She swayed a bit. "I just felt so filthy. Now I'm cold."

She passed out and Vegeta caught her deftly with one arm. He sighed and picked her up properly before taking off to the sky.  _This woman... She's a magnet for danger_.


	9. The One

Frieza and Cooler stared impassively at their father's cold corpse. He'd been found by a wayward couple looking for a place to copulate in private. The only explanation for Cold's death was that he had suffered a heart attack of some sort. More tests were being taken in order to find out if that was indeed the case.

"Where was that little witch of yours? Wasn't she supposed to be with Father?" Cooler asked, breaking the silence between the brothers.

The overlord bristled at the mention of Bulma. "She has a penchant for running off. No ships have left the planet so she's still within the area somewhere. It's just a matter of finding her. You believe she had something to do with this?"

"Probably not  _directly_ , but she did leave him to die. You will let something like this go unpunished?" Cooler slyly looked at Frieza and crossed his arms.

"Punish her? For what?" Frieza turned away from his brother with a snort. "We've both wanted this old man dead for quite some time. That someone else did the dirty work without us instigating it just makes it better."

"What you say is true. However, someone needs to take the fall. To our subordinates, it appeared that we revered our father. They can't know that we didn't give a rat's ass about him. That'll just make them think of internal discord. Internal discord leads to uprisings. Uprisings lead to revolutions. Revolutions lead to the fall of empires."

Frieza considered his brother's words. Cooler was right. Someone would have to take the fall for this. He could not just blame anyone, though. A regular soldier would not be realistic enough. Others would never believe a regular soldier could take down someone as powerful as Cold. Someone well-known would have to do.  _Well-known but expendable_.

The overlord's musings were interrupted by a doctor entering the room. "Lord Frieza, we have news of Lord Cold's autopsy. We discovered that in addition to the heart attack, Lord Cold was poisoned. Whether the poison had an impact on him remains to be seen," the doctor said.

"And why are you telling me this without any definitive evidence?" Frieza asked without turning around. He could hear the doctor fumbling with words to say. Sighing, Frieza whirled around and glared at the small, red-faced alien. "Get out, imbecile! Come talk to me when you have better evidence!"

"Yes, Lord Frieza!" The doctor turned and ran out of the room, leaving the two brothers in silence.

Cooler chuckled softly. "Well, I suppose you should get to working on finding a stooge to take the fall for this. I daresay news of the heart attack should be kept under wraps. Run with the poisoning."

"I don't need you to tell me how to run my business," Frieza snapped. Cooler shook his head and walked out of the room.

* * *

He had no idea why he brought her to his home. It was stupid and he had not realized it until she was already curled up under the sheets on his bed. Vegeta sat in a chair across from his bed, watching Bulma sleep. It felt strange for him to just sit there and watch her. Vegeta rarely had women entertain him and when he did it was usually because the others forced him into it somehow. Women were a distraction. Kinomi was proof enough of that and she was simply his sister.

So why did he continue to care for this woman's well-being? She was no one to him. If anything she was detrimental to his cause. Being in her presence would lead to nothing but trouble. So why did he seek her out? He could not concentrate unless she was near. Ironically, with her just lying in front of him, it was the most focused he'd been in weeks. Of course, he was focusing only on her at the moment.

Vegeta stood and moved towards his bed. He kneeled down at the edge, right where Bulma's head was. She appeared so peaceful compared to the emotional mess she was at the lake. Vegeta leaned in closer. He slowly and tentatively moved some of Bulma's hair in order to see her face more clearly. Vegeta's breath caught as she responded to his touch by turning her head, allowing him to cup her cheek. The contact startled Vegeta and he immediately retracted his hand.

 _What the hell am I doing? That was fucking stupid! What is wrong with me_? Questions ran through his mind as he berated himself. He looked back in Bulma's direction and noticed a strange look on her face. She was pouting. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and leaned forward again. Bulma seemed to move closer to him, as if she was subconsciously drawn to him. Vegeta slid his hand from her chin to her small neck. The marks from Cold's hold on her had darkened from the red irritated skin he saw at the lake to purplish bruises.

"I could kill you so easily. Just one swift movement and I'll be rid of you and all these... sensations you induce in me," Vegeta whispered softly into her hair. He closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent. Even though she had been in the water, she still smelled of some sort of tangy fruit. "You... are a troublesome... frustrating woman..." He trailed off slowly.

* * *

_Bulma tried to catch her breath as she stared at the destroyed wall before her. She was confused. Just a moment ago, Cold had his disgusting paws around her and now he was laying 20 feet away in a pile of rubble. Bulma was not so bold as to believe that even with her mental power she could toss someone like Cold through a wall. She looked down at her hands. They held a faint blue glow that disappeared almost as quickly as Bulma noticed it._

_A rumbling noise followed by a roar of anger jolted Bulma from her thoughts and back into action. She turned to run in the opposite direction. Before she got too far, a cold hand grabbed hold of her arm. Bulma could hear Cold cursing at her, but none of it came in coherently. She fought to get out of his grasp. Just as she did before, she pushed with all the strength she had in her body._

_As Cold released her with his hand, something else snatched Bulma up by her neck. She belatedly realized that it was his tail. Cold was now lifting her off her feet by it and smirking as he walked up towards her._

_"You're much feistier than I remember you being. I enjoy the chase just as much as anyone else." Cold brought her closer with his tail. "You should feel honored that I would even look twice at you. My tastes are usually much... younger. However, I'll make an exception just for..."_

_Bulma barely noticed Cold's sharp intake of breath. She stared directly at him, her gaze never wavering and her eyes unblinking. His tail's grip on her loosened and she dropped to the ground. Cold stumbled back, clutching his chest. Bulma stared him down, unrelenting in her gaze._

_"Your... Your... Your eyes..." Cold slumped down on the floor._

_Finally, she blinked._

* * *

Bulma's eyes snapped open. The blurriness cleared and she immediately found out that she was not in her bed nor was she in her room. She was squeezing something under the big sheets that covered her. She heard noise in front of her and realized that she was not alone in this strange room. Slowly moving the covers down, she peered down to see the unmistakable hair of Vegeta. Bulma began to sit up properly but stopped when she noticed that Vegeta was in nothing but a towel.

 _By the gods, that was what was under his shirt_? Bulma could not help but ogle the well-defined muscles of Vegeta's back. Even with the scars he looked as though he was carved from the finest marble. She had been in the vicinity of attractive men before but they were usually only examples of how beauty is only skin deep. She did not know Vegeta well enough to say he was not one of the many who were like that. However, there was no law against looking. So she did.

Vegeta snorted. "I know you're awake, woman," he said without turning.

Bulma pulled the covers back up to her chin. "And how would you have figured that out? Can you read my mind, too?" she joked.

"No." Vegeta turned and faced her. "My senses are superior to yours. The subtle change in your breathing pattern and the way your heart beats are what alerted me," he said.

"Wow, Vegeta. You can hear my heart beat from all the way over there? That's amazing."

"Not really," Vegeta said with a shrug. "Anyone can do it if trained to listen and look for the right things."

Bulma started to sit up. She quickly realized that she was again naked.  _This keeps happening to me for some reason_ , she thought with a sigh. She bunched the covers up around her and sat up with her back against the headboard.

"So..."

"So?" Vegeta crossed his arms.

Bulma remained silent for a moment more. Deciding that looking at Vegeta as he stood there in barely anything at all would hinder her thought process, she took to taking in her surroundings. "You brought me to your home. Why?"

"Would you have preferred I drop you off in your room where someone would be able to find you once they discovered the mess you made of Cold?" Vegeta watched Bulma cross her arms and pout. "I didn't think so. You can go back soon. I'm pretty sure Frieza is out looking for you as we speak."

"I don't doubt that," Bulma muttered.

Just as Vegeta turned around to look for some clothing, the door to his room opened wide. Startled, Bulma pulled the covers over her more securely. Vegeta just turned his head to whoever had the gall to enter his quarters without announcing themselves. Unsurprisingly, it was Chichi.

Chichi looked at Bulma and then at Vegeta. She made the same movements with her eyes at least three more times before resting her gaze on Vegeta. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

"It isn't what it looks like, Chichi!" Bulma said quickly. She could only imagine what type of thoughts the other woman was thinking as Chichi crossed her arms over her chest. "It really isn't."

"And just what am I supposed to think when I walk in on you two in this condition? There aren't a lot of options."

Vegeta scoffed. "You should be thinking about why you just barged into my room without permission." He pushed her back out of the room with one hand and slammed the door in Chichi's face with the other. Ignoring Chichi's cries and pounding on the door, Vegeta moved away from it to a dresser on the other side of the room.

Bulma snickered as she heard Chichi curse at Vegeta. "Why doesn't she just open the door again?"

"Because if she does she knows that I'll just go beat the shit out of Kakarrot," Vegeta said as he rummaged around in the dresser drawers.

"Beat up Kakarrot? Why would you do that?"

"I don't hit women who don't attack me first and I've never struck that harpy outside of sparring." Vegeta tossed a black jumpsuit at Bulma. "That's the only one-piece I've got."

Bulma looked down at the jumpsuit. It looked incredibly tiny. "Are you sure it'll even fit me? How did you even get in it?" She looked up from the garment to see Vegeta pulling out his own clothes. He walked a few paces away from her and dropped his towel. Bulma's eyes bulged and she immediately pulled the comforter over her head. "Vegeta!"

Vegeta looked over at Bulma as he began dressing himself. "What is your problem now, woman?" he asked as he pulled up his pants. He looked in her direction to see her still with the cover over her head. "Woman!"

"You just dropped your towel in front of me and I'm the one with the problem?" She peered over the top of the cover a bit to see if he was dressed.

"Obviously you were not so offended by it if you looked again," Vegeta retorted with a smirk.

"What the hell are you talking about? I did not look! I'm not a pervert!"

"Oh didn't you? I never said I was dressed. You still came out from underneath there. Perhaps the sight was not so displeasing to your beady little eyes." Vegeta had to fight from laughing at the shade of red Bulma turned. He could not tell if she was embarrassed or angry. If the vein throbbing on her temple was any indication, he'd go with the latter.

Bulma huffed and crossed her arms. "Wasn't much to look at," she mumbled. When she heard the indignant growl coming from Vegeta, she inwardly smirked. "Now turn around so I can get dressed." She turned her body to place her feet on the floor, still holding the comforter to her chest.

Vegeta noticed her reluctance to get out of the bed. "Woman, there isn't much of you left to my imagination anymore. Just get dressed."

"That's not the point, Vegeta. It's just... improper." She watched him shrug and turn to walk over to the closet in his room. Bulma took the opportunity to quickly get up. She picked up the jumpsuit and began shrugging it on. As she was pulling it up, Bulma noticed a scratch on her right side. She touched the mark gently. There was no pain. It looked as if her skin had merely been smudged away. Bulma stared at it for a long moment, trying to figure out what the mark was.

Vegeta walked back in the room from his closet. Bulma was standing with her back to him and she appeared to be entranced with something on her skin. Vegeta moved silently behind her and looked down at what she was examining. The mark was strange. Unlike the bruises on her arms and neck, it appeared to be blue. "Are you unfamiliar with that blemish?" he asked into her ear.

Bulma gasped at Vegeta's proximity to her. She had not even heard him move. "I've never seen it. I'm sure it's just another bruise." Straightening up, Bulma finished pulling the jumpsuit up. Despite initially looking like something only a toddler would be able to fit, the fabric seemed to conform to Bulma's shape and size. It was almost like wearing skin. "It's so lightweight."

"It's a special fabric that was perfected on my planet." Vegeta turned around and began fixing the sheets on his bed. He tossed her the cape he had draped her in at the lake. Bulma had still been holding on to it when he put her in the bed. "The fabric is made to fit anything. It can stretch to fit even our ultimate forms."

"Ultimate form? What's that?" Bulma squeezed the cape in her hand.

The prince looked back in her direction. "The form most Saiyans can fight at their maximum in. You're lucky if you never get to see it."

Bulma stared at him for a long moment before nodding. "I've heard my people also had something of an  _ultimate_  form. My mother told me that it is very hard to achieve and even harder to control. Only one of the elders on my planet could do it, but she was very old."

Vegeta sat down on his bed and stared up at Bulma. "A transformation?" He watched Bulma shake her head and sit down beside him. "So just a higher state of being?"

"I am not sure." Bulma thought back to seeing the old elder and her power. "It's hard to remember. I only saw her once. She appeared as a being surrounded in a cloak of blue light. It was almost as if she was simply a specter. That version of her seemed young while her real body was old and frail. She was very, very old too."

"Sounds like you were pretty important on your planet."

Bulma shook her head again. "Not at all. My family was pretty average. The only thing that really set us apart was the fact that my mother was what we called an  _Aurelian_. While most of the people on my planet had hair like mine, my mother's was very fair. She was considered exotic. I don't know why I was chosen by Frieza. We held no high social status like the kings and queen or even the elders."

Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest. "Exotic? Both you and your mother would be outcasts on my planet. Saiyans all have dark hair. Only the slaves from other planets were colored any different."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes more. Bulma clasped her hands together and exhaled loudly. "What about your parents? What were they like?"

The question surprised Vegeta. He did not usually talk so much and never about his family if he could help it. But Bulma's kind eyes held him in place and he felt compelled to answer. "I resemble my father a lot. The only thing that is probably different between us is our height. He also had a mustache. My mother..." Vegeta trailed off. "Kinomi looks like our mother the most."

"Then she must've been absolutely gorgeous."

* * *

Tarble towards Vegeta's room. He stopped a few feet from it when he noticed the three brothers and Chichi crowded around the door with their ears to it. Raditz noticed Tarble and put a finger to his lips. Tarble crossed his arms and shook his head.  _If Vegeta knew they were eavesdropping he'd go ballistic_ , he thought. Still, he was curious as to why they were listening in on Vegeta's conversation. He already knew that Bulma was in there with him, but why would they be talking? His curiosity got the better of him and he hovered over to the door and put his ear against it.

"Kakarrot, your elbow is in my back!" Turles whispered.

"Move over some! I can't hear!" Kakarrot retorted.

"Both of you be quiet before Vegeta hears us!" Raditz whispered to both of them.

* * *

Vegeta turned his head towards Bulma. "You talked about having a  _chosen one_. You say you'll probably never find yours. Why? Your chosen can only be within your race?"

She started to reply but immediately realized that she had no idea how to answer that question. "I don't know. As far as I know, my planet was not densely populated. I always thought that there was high probability that you would cross paths with your chosen at some point, but not a lot of people did." Bulma looked up at the ceiling. "Maybe my  _chosen_  isn't from my race."

This piqued Vegeta's interest. "How do you know when you find them?"

"Well, I'm not sure. My mother said it is different for everyone. Sometimes you never feel a thing and it's all on the other person's side. When she found hers, she felt the urge to see him; to be near him. She came to love him and some time after that I was born."

Vegeta hummed low in his throat. "Feelings… What kind of feelings would one get?"

"Oh I don't know. Probably feeling tingly. Or maybe like the wind was knocked out of them. I don't suppose one would feel pain. Maybe they'd feel empowered or at peace. Maybe they feel as though there's nothing to fear; that nothing can stop them." Bulma sighed a bit. "Maybe they feel what the other feels. Perhaps they share their emotions. I don't think I'll ever know." She fell silent as she looked down at her hands.

" _What is the meaning of this_?"

Both Bulma and Vegeta turned their heads toward the door when they heard Nappa's booming voice. Immediately following that there was a lot of shuffling and groaning heard. There were a few knocks against the door and grumbles about pain. Then Nappa opened the door. He looked at Vegeta and then Bulma.

"What is going on out there, Nappa?" Vegeta asked.

Nappa pointed at Bulma. "Every soldier within the walls of the fortress is scouring the grounds for you. Frieza's patience is definitely running out. He's called for all of us to assist in the search," he said.

Bulma got to her feet. "Well I suppose I should go let Frieza know I didn't run off before he starts killing people," she said.

"I'll take her back. The rest of you stay here." Vegeta got up and followed Bulma out of the room. He glared at the other Saiyans. The brothers were looking anywhere but the direction of their leader and Tarble was blushing. Chichi tried to appear nonchalant but kept giving Bulma and Vegeta quick glances. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta took Bulma by the arm and pulled her down the hallway.

* * *

Kinomi watched as Frieza tapped his wine goblet in irritation. She was still sitting in the banquet hall. It had cleared out quickly after the news of Cold's death was announced. Only Kinomi, Frieza, and Cooler remained. Cooler was being entertained by the same orange-haired woman as before. Kinomi had noticed that the woman kept glancing at her, but said nothing on it. Instead, she kept her guard up because she knew Frieza was on edge. It had been several hours since anyone last saw Bulma.

 _Where are you, Blue_?

 _Behind you_.

Kinomi turned her head to see Vegeta and Bulma entering the room. She had to raise an eyebrow at Bulma's clothing. She was barefoot and in one of Vegeta's training suits. What made her smirk was the fact that Bulma was holding on to Vegeta's cape. Smirking, she faced forward as Frieza noticed the two new people in the room.

"Well, well. Look what the monkey dragged in," Frieza said in a low voice.

Standing as close as she was to him, Bulma could feel Vegeta tense at Frieza's words. She knew enough from Kinomi to know that Frieza used that word to insult the Saiyans and their heritage. She leaned into him a bit and relaxed. "Now that wasn't very nice, Frieza. I resent being called a monkey," Bulma said.

Frieza narrowed his eyes at her before smiling. He took a sip of his wine and slowly placed the goblet back on the table. "Where did you find her, Vegeta?"

"Hiding in the brush near the house," Vegeta answered casually. Bulma inwardly smirked at his blatant lie. "Her clothes were unacceptable. Chichi gave her more," he said.

"I see." Frieza looked away from Vegeta and back at Bulma. "Did you show Father a good time?" he asked.

Bulma stiffened. "Never kiss and tell, Frieza," she replied.

Cooler chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you'll regale us with the tale since we can't exactly ask Father."

"Why not? Unless he's dead I don't see why you can't ask him yourselves." Bulma crossed her arms under her bosom.

Frieza's grin returned to his face and gave a throaty laugh. "Well, it's just our luck that he just happens to be dead. Now about that  _tale_  you're supposed to  _regale_  us with..."

"He's dead?" Bulma whispered. She tried to keep her expression neutral. "How did that happen?" She moved a lock of her hair out of the way.

Vegeta noticed the brothers exchange looks. He turned his head to Bulma and saw that she had exposed her bruised neck. He'd forgotten that her bruises were dark and very noticeable. Bulma appeared as if she did not know why everyone was staring at her. When Frieza beckoned her forward, she went without much protest. He pulled her down to her knees and examined her neck.

"Have you been manhandling her, Vegeta?" Frieza inquired without looking away from Bulma's neck.

"Vegeta hasn't touched me. You can blame these bruises on that brute Cold." The words were barely out of Bulma's mouth before Frieza backhanded her. He pulled the slap quite a bit as only her head snapped to the side. Had he hit her as hard as he could, she would probably be dead. Bulma faced Frieza again. She could feel the bruise starting to rise on her face.

The overlord grabbed ahold of Bulma's chin and held her face close to his. "It is not nice to speak ill of the dead, Bulma."

"You never told me how he died, Frieza," Bulma spat back at him.

Cooler chuckled. "Still feisty even after your twisted brand of  _discipline_. I like her very much, brother," he said.

Bulma jerked away from Frieza and got to her feet. " _Discipline_? You left me with that asshole for  _discipline_?" She moved away from Frieza, her eyes starting to water with tears. She could feel them burning. "I'll show you  _discipline_..."

Kinomi and Vegeta appeared to be the only ones who heard what Bulma whispered at the end. The little Saiyan noticed Bulma's eyes go blank. It was the same look Bulma gave when she used her powers. Panicking somewhat, Kinomi pushed herself into Bulma's mind.  _Blue, stop! You'll give yourself away! Stop it now_!

Bulma inhaled and exhaled slowly. "His heart stopped and it might have been caused by poison. You're thinking of blaming Dodoria for it. I'm sure that'll go over really well with your men. That is, if they  _accidentally_  find out you lied to them. Good night." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Kinomi rose from her seat and followed her.

The silence in the room was broken by Cooler's laugh. "Amazing. She read you like a book. I thought you said you'd built up a defense against her."

"Shut up." Frieza looked at Vegeta. "Get out."

Vegeta wasted no time in leaving. As he walked out, a smirk came to his face.  _The woman angered is a very interesting thing. Very interesting indeed_.

* * *

Bulma pushed the doors open to her quarters. Kinomi followed her inside, fussing about her carelessness with her powers. Bulma stopped walking and whirled on the shorter girl. "I killed him. Cold did not die by poison. He may have already had the poison in his system, but I did it. I wanted him dead. I wanted him to cease living. I wanted his heart to stop. And it did! It really did!"

Kinomi stared at Bulma in silence for a moment. "Blue, you're scaring me a little. You aren't usually so gung-ho about using your powers in such a way."

"I know! But that's what's so amazing! All I wanted was to see him suffer. I wanted his life to  **END**. I wanted the blood to no longer be pumped through his veins. I wanted him to feel pain..." Bulma went on and on as she began pacing. Kinomi noted the faint glow in Bulma's eyes as she spoke and paced back and forth. "I wanted to  **END**  him, Kinomi. Then I left him and went to scrub myself clean from his stink. That's where Vegeta found me..."

"Wait!" Kinomi held up a hand and Bulma stopped her pacing. "I thought Vegeta found you by the house."

"He lied. He found me by the waterfall and I think I fainted. I woke up in his bed." Bulma looked down at the cape she was holding. "I'm surprised he let me keep this."

"I'm surprised Vegeta lied to Frieza. Well, he's done it before but never about anything this important. If Frieza found any of this out he'd be furious." Kinomi's expression changed to one of solemnity. "But, you've gotta maintain a cool head, Blue. If Frieza found out everything you could do he'd only exploit you even more. We can't let him do that."

"Don't you think I know that, Kinomi?" Bulma turned and headed for her bedroom. Inside, she tossed the cape to her bed and began peeling off the jumpsuit. She had it only half down when she heard Kinomi gasp. "What? What is it?"

Kinomi walked further into the room. She shut and locked the door before heading over to Bulma. The two moved in front of the mirror and Kinomi showed Bulma patches of blue all over her back. "They don't look like bruises. Do they hurt?" Kinomi touched one of the marks softly. Bulma shook her head, but her face was one of pure shock. "Blue, what are these? It looks like your skin has just been wiped away."

"I don't know." Bulma continued changing clothes. "There was only one mark when I was at the house. First my hair is changing color and now I'm turning blue. Who knows what's going on with me..."

* * *

"Has anyone ever really seen Vegeta have actual conversations?" Raditz asked. The rest of the Saiyans were all gathered in the living room of the house. Raditz's question received shrugs from all those in the room. "It's strange how relaxed he seems around that girl."

"She's a witch," Nappa said. "Vegeta hasn't been able to concentrate properly since he met her. His training is all over the place and his focus is nonexistent."

Chichi smacked the back of Nappa's head. "Bulma is not a witch, Nappa. Vegeta has been acting strange lately, though. I will agree to that. He seems stressed, but I can't blame him about that. Frieza's had us running all over the galaxy for months without a break," she said.

"Maybe that's all Geta needs. A break from everything would probably do him some good. But," Tarble began, "I think Bulma is good for him, though. You all have seen how he is around her. It's like..." He paused and his eyes widened.

Noticing the young prince's silence, Kakarrot craned his neck to look over at him. "What is it, Tarble?"

Tarble closed his gaping mouth and looked in Kakarrot's direction. "Remember when Bulma was talking about her  _chosen_? What if that person is Geta?" He noticed the skeptical looks everyone was giving him. "Hear me out. Remember when we stopped on that deserted planet and Geta let off some steam? None of us could get close to him. I saw how he was able to come down from that power surge."

"You've caught my interest, squirt. How did Vegeta stop that power up? I thought he was going to explode," Turles said callously. Chichi smacked the back of his head as she passed him to go to the kitchen. He growled at her which led to Kakarrot kicking him.

"I saw something move up to Vegeta after Raditz grabbed me. It looked like a blue ghost. Do you think it was Bulma?"

"Bulma was light-years away on another planet. Unless she can project herself clear across the galaxy..."

"But what if she can?" Tarble got more skeptical looks. "Just listen to me for a second. Even she doesn't know the full extent of her powers. Astral projection doesn't seem that far-fetched for her. I just have a feeling that she can be very important. We shouldn't try to keep those two apart."

Raditz laughed. "Even if we wanted to, I'm pretty sure Vegeta would just tell us to go fuck ourselves. He's going to do whatever he wants to do. If that includes Bulma, then we have no choice but to get used to her."

* * *

Vegeta landed on Bulma's balcony silently. Although her lights were out, he knew she was still awake. He peered inside the glass doors and saw her sitting on her bed with her back to him. He noticed the mark on her back was bigger and there were more starting to appear. Vegeta entered the room quietly. To his surprise, Bulma did not even flinch. She just sat with her knees drawn up to her chest. He moved silently across the floor and stopped behind her.

"I killed a man," she whispered.

"I'd hardly call Cold a man. Reality is just now setting in, woman?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "No. It set in when I got back from seeing Frieza. I wonder who he's going to blame it on now. I pretty much blew his chances at blaming Dodoria and making it believable." She grew silent for a moment. "For some reason I could read his mind when I got angry. Frieza found a way to keep me out. How did I bypass that?" she whispered, biting her lip.

"It seems your powers are growing." Vegeta shuffled his feet.

She turned her body to face Vegeta. "My powers are growing? What about you? Do you feel more powerful?" she asked. Vegeta said nothing. He sat at the edge of the bed and did not look at her. "Why are you here, Vegeta? Why did you come see me?"

He remained silent for a few minutes more. "Would you prefer I leave?"

"No!" Bulma looked away from him. She'd spoken much louder than she intended to. "I mean... I rather enjoy your company. You can stay. I just find it strange that you would come see me. That's all. Kinomi told me you aren't exactly very social."

"I'm not." Vegeta shifted to sit where he could see her.

Bulma sat quietly for a moment. Biting her lip, she scooted closer to Vegeta and put her legs down. He gave her a strange look as she got closer. Bulma could see he was close to bolting but she touched his shoulder. It took more effort than usual to keep his thoughts from entering her mind. She did not want to intrude on his thoughts like she had before.

"What are you doing, woman?" Vegeta watched as Bulma took his hands and held them up. She spread her fingers out in his hands so that they matched fingers. Then she closed her eyes. "Woman, what are you..." Vegeta was silenced as he saw a golden light forming between their hands. Bulma slowly moved her hands away and the light grew.

It was as if she was drawing his power out. Bulma opened her eyes as the energy took on the shape of floating spheres. She pulled back further from Vegeta, letting the balls float in her hands. "This is your power; your true power," she whispered.

Vegeta examined the balls of energy. He could tell it was his own, but it was gold. His energy usually gave off a blue aura much like the one Bulma tended to glow with at times. Why was his energy suddenly gold?

"I've never done this before, but I know this is your true power. Why is it gold? Isn't your aura blue like mine?" Bulma voiced his own thoughts as she continued to examine the balls. "Would you like to know a secret?" she asked as she dissipated the balls in her hand.

Still awed by this power she'd shown him, Vegeta nodded numbly. "What?"

Bulma leaned in closer. "Well, I can't sense everyone. Up until a few weeks ago I thought my powers were pretty much universal. Even though Frieza found a way to block me out, I managed to bypass that as well. I can attest that to being angry and the fact that I've been practicing more with using my powers. But, there's still one person who constantly evades me and I don't know why."

"It must be terrifying. Most of your life you've been nearly impossible to take by surprise. Someone with your ego must take that pretty hard," Vegeta said with a snort.

"The sarcasm is unappreciated." Bulma crossed her arms. "I can read their mind, but it seems there's one condition to it."

"And what's that?"

"I have to be making physical contact with this person. Then their thoughts are pretty much forced upon me. There's no escaping them. I have to try harder than usual not to inadvertently read them. It's almost like their thoughts are mine..."

Vegeta listened to Bulma talk about this mysterious person. It seemed odd that only one person was truly immune to her unless she was touching them. "What am I thinking right now?"

Bulma stopped talking at Vegeta's question and glanced over at him. "I'm not going to read your mind, Vegeta."

"You're not going to or you can't?"

 _Busted_ , Bulma thought morosely.  _I just had to tell him about it, didn't I? I need to learn to keep my mouth shut_.

"I'm not going to," she partially lied. She was unprepared when Vegeta reached out and grabbed her hand before she could move away. Unsuspecting of the sudden contact, Bulma had no time to put up a wall to block out Vegeta. "Vegeta..."

He pulled her against his chest. "What am I thinking, woman?"

Bulma let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. "About the first time you saw me and how you felt. About the blue specter you saw while you were in your pod. About releasing so much energy and your aura briefly turning gold. You're thinking about how you feel when you're around me." She winced and opened her eyes. "Vegeta, you're hurting me."

Vegeta looked down at where he was holding her. He released her quickly and saw the handprint he'd left on her. He also took notice of the bruises Cold had left on her body. His eyes traveled up to her neck. "Your bruises anger me," he said as he moved her hair to see the rings around her neck. He finally noticed the bruise Frieza had left on her face and his frown deepened even more.

"Your clear ire about my injuries is somewhat endearing. Dare I say you care about me, Vegeta?" Bulma gave him a small smirk. Vegeta released her and crossed his arms. "You do! You like me! You really like me!" she teased.

"Woman, you're pushing the limits of my patience with you."

"You have an infinite amount of patience with me otherwise you wouldn't care to listen to me babble on and on. I've only been around you for a few days and already you know more about me than Frieza does." Bulma leaned against him again and they entered a long silence.

After what seemed like hours, Vegeta spoke. "Tranquility is such a strange feeling. I'm not entirely sure I like it."

"I'm sure we'll get used to it. Maybe one day it will not be such a foreign feeling." Bulma placed her hand on top of his. She slowly raised it. Strings of light shone between them, connecting their hands. "I remember feeling this power. When I pushed Cold away from me, I felt this power running through me. I think I siphoned some of your power from you."

"How would you do that? We were nowhere near one another."

"I don't know." Bulma shut her eyes. Then she raised her head to look at him. "Unless..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter seems to be more dialogue-heavy than usual. I think I couldn't really avoid it because of how I wanted to progress Bulma and Vegeta's relationship. Oh well...


	10. Joint Effort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains a small non-con scene.

Zarbon saw Kinomi coming down the hallway. She was carrying a bag of some sort along with a shoebox. Just as she was about to pass him, he appeared in front of her, blocking her path. The green-haired man did not miss the annoyed expression on her face as she tried to go around him. He continued to block her path until she finally looked up into his face with an exasperated sigh.

"What do you want, Zarbon? I'm busy," Kinomi said.

"Busy doing the witch's shopping? I didn't know Saiyan royalty had been reduced to catering to the whims of one who holds no rank or office."

Kinomi smirked. "Your attempts at belittling me are so half-assed. I'm sure Kakarrot could come better than that with his unintentional snark. You have got to do better. Now, I have a job to do." She attempted to go around him again. Zarbon grabbed her by her arms and pinned her against the wall. He towered over her small form. To anyone with a weaker mindset, this move would have been quite intimidating. Kinomi simply laughed in his face.

"You are so disrespectful to your betters, little princess. One day it will catch up to you. You are lucky Frieza has forbidden anyone from harming you. Vegeta is the only thing keeping you safe," Zarbon said.

"Oh? Is that so?" Kinomi dropped the shoebox and kneed him in the gut. The attack was unexpected and Zarbon was clearly not expecting her to hit so hard. He stumbled back away from her. In a flash, she was pinning him against the wall with her now free hand. "Like I said, you come at me then you better come at me like a man." She spit in his face and released him. Before he could do anything in retaliation, she was gone.

 _That little bitch! She'll get what's coming to her_ , Zarbon thought while angrily wiping away the mucus and saliva from his cheek.  _She'll get exactly what's coming to her_.

* * *

Kinomi knocked on Bulma's bathroom door. She heard a muffled response. Assuming it was a confirmation for entry, Kinomi barged in. She paused for a moment when she saw Bulma sitting in the bathtub with her knees drawn up to her chest. The marks on her back had slowed down in their growth, but they were still very present. They were starting to spread to Bulma's arms and they would be very visible if she stuck to her usual wardrobe.

"Did you find anything?" Bulma whispered. Her head was buried beneath her hair. She looked up when she received no answer. Kinomi was just staring at her. "What?"

"Does your maid know about... this?" Kinomi motioned to Bulma's body. Bulma shook her head. "Good. The last thing we need is for her blabbing to Frieza about this. He'll just lock you up like some science experiment. I managed to find some spare suits without too much fuss. Vendors on this planet ask far too many questions. I even got you a pair of boots." The princess sat down on the edge of the tub.

Bulma looked at Kinomi's lap and saw the suits there. They were all similar to the one Vegeta let her have. They would cover her entire body up to her neck. "You found some in different colors, I see."

"Yeah. They had a bunch of these things in awful colors like green. I figured you'd like it. Now get outta the tub so we can get going." Kinomi stood up and left one of the suits on the side of the tub. Bulma smirked when she noticed it was the aforementioned green one.

* * *

"What was it that old woman told you again?"

Frieza narrowed his eyes when he heard his brother speak. "Does it really matter right now? She said something about Bulma and some  _chosen one_  that will overthrow me. Who is Bulma going to meet? She's here all day."

Cooler appeared thoughtful for a moment. "But where does she spend her days? You're getting soft, brother. You've given her far too much freedom lately."

"Her mind is too valuable. If she were to spend her days locked away in a dungeon she'd go crazy and then what use would she be of to me? Besides, I have plans for Bulma."

The two brothers were away from any other dignitaries that remained after the events the night Cold was killed. No one had been reprimanded for the crime yet. Both Frieza and Cooler had the sneaking suspicion that Bulma knew more about the death then she let on. However, she acted no different so Frieza said nothing on it. So far, he'd been letting his father's death go unpunished. This tactic seemed to be even more terrifying than Frieza actually punishing someone. His entire empire was waiting for the inevitable explosion of wrath they thought was sure to come.

"Plans? What kind of plans?" Cooler seemed more interested in anything that concerned Bulma. Frieza had picked up on it soon.

"She isn't going to live forever and I have seen that she ages far faster than I expected. My only option in order to keep someone like her around is to have her breed," Frieza replied.

Cooler smirked. "I figured as much. Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Yes, but I think I'd better keep that a secret."

The brothers lapsed into silence once more. Cooler stopped walking and looked towards the training grounds. He saw the Saiyan princess walking towards the building. Practically skipping to keep up behind the diminutive one was Bulma. He found her outfit peculiar but said nothing.

"Brother, I think you should've paid more attention to that prophecy."

* * *

The training facility was packed. It was almost as if every soldier within the fortress grounds was there. Bulma and Kinomi made their way to where the Saiyans were training in one of the separate rooms. Bulma found it strange that they were even there to begin with. She'd quickly noticed that keeping Saiyans locked in confined spaces for too long bothered them greatly.

When they entered the room, Kinomi and Bulma stopped for a moment. There was a group of women huddled around three tall poles. They were dressed in training clothes as well, but they were not sparring in any manner. Kinomi raised an eyebrow and began to speak, but Tarble's voice interrupted her.

"Over here!" her twin yelled. Tarble smiled as the two girls made their way over to the Saiyan group. "Chichi and Nappa are going at it right now."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Chichi fights?" she asked. Both Kinomi and Tarble gave her incredulous looks. "What? I've never seen her fight. I've only seen her cook and stuff. I do know that all the guys appear to be a little scared of her."

"We're not scared of her," Tarble flinched as Nappa was sent careening to the ground by Chichi, "too much. She's just... tough."

"Whatever. She's not  _that_  tough. I could take her," Kinomi said.

"Care to back those fierce words up, short stack?" Chichi called from her position in the air. The three glanced up to see her levitating with her arms folded and a stern expression on her face. "I'll take you and your other half together."

Tarble glared over at Kinomi. "Look what you did!" he whispered.

Kinomi rolled her eyes and looked back at Bulma. "You're gonna be okay alone?" she asked. Bulma nodded and walked over to the wall. Kinomi grabbed Tarble's arm and took off towards Chichi.

Bulma watched Kinomi and Tarble double team Chichi. With their speed, she could only follow along if she reached out for their mind signatures. Knowing where they were, she could finally see them. Chichi was clearly the more experienced fighter of the three and was easily handling the twins. The twins clumsily fought around each other, trying to get at Chichi. "I can't help but thing that they'd be more effective if they worked together and not against each other," Bulma whispered to herself.

Tarble appeared to be faster than his twin while Kinomi was clearly the physically stronger one. They kept getting in each other's way. Chichi was definitely taking full advantage of the uncoordinated attack the twins came at her with. She was having a lot of fun doing it as well.

The door opened on the other side of the room and in came Vegeta. Bulma did not know whether to be surprised or not by his lack of shirt.  _I'm not exactly going to complain about it_ , she thought as she momentarily ogled him. She noticed that he immediately walked towards the group of women. He had a very brief conversation to the blonde woman and then headed towards the rest of his kin. He did not seem to notice her, but Bulma was no longer looking at him. She was staring down the blonde woman.

* * *

"She's watching you," Zangya said to Juu. The blonde turned her head slightly and saw Bulma looking over at them. "It's kinda weird."

"She means no harm. Watch," Juu said. She turned around and looked at Bulma. The other girl seemed surprised by the sudden attention. Juu beckoned Bulma forward with her right index finger. After a few moments of hesitation, Bulma got to her feet and started to make her way over to them. Juu faced Zangya and smirked.

When she got over to them, she crossed her arms under her breasts and inched closer to them. "You have something to say?"

Juu turned her head to the side. "You're Frieza's little princess?"

"I'm getting really tired of people thinking that I'm some sort of special person to him," Bulma said with an exasperated sigh.

"I did not mean to offend. However, he does treat you with far more reverence than he does the rest of us. I'm Juu, by the way. What's your name?" Juu asked, looking back down at what she was doing. She appeared to be helping another girl stretch.

Bulma snorted softly. "I have a feeling you already know."

"You got me. I know a bit about you, but not much. You probably know what my job is." Juu helped the other girl stand and motioned towards the poles. She watched as the other girl took hold of one of them and lifted herself. Two others started to play some sort of music using strange objects Bulma had never seen.

Zangya noticed how Bulma became a bit entranced with the way the other girl moved on the pole. She giggled a little. "You've never seen someone pole dance before?" she inquired. Bulma jumped out of her trance and looked at Zangya. She shook her head fervently. "It's a bit of a specialty among our group. It's why we are the best. We can make men bend to our will with just a swing around a pole."

The lavender-haired beauty nodded numbly and went back to watching the girl bend and move her body in different positions all while swinging slowly on the pole. Juu looked at Zangya for a moment. "How strong are you?" she asked Bulma.

Bulma looked at Juu. "I wouldn't say I'm strong enough to do that. You'd have to be very strong to even hold yourself up that long."

"Well, she's not holding anything up but her body weight. Why don't you give it a try?" Juu asked. She took Bulma's hand and led her to the last pole. "Get rid of those boots. You won't need them here. Now let's see if you can pull yourself up. Take hold of the pole firmly."

Bulma did as she was told. Once her shoes were off, she began to follow Juu's instructions on how to  _mount_  the pole. She had to admit that she found it easier than she thought to climb up. Once she was at the top, she looked down at Juu. "What now?"

"Let's test your upper body strength more."

Chichi knocked Kinomi and Tarble down to the ground. She looked at the two as they recovered. Her eyes were then pulled towards Bulma and Juu. "What the hell?"

Kinomi followed Chichi's gaze and saw Bulma across the room. "Who knew Blue was that strong? I didn't think she'd be able to hold herself up like that," she said quietly as she got to her feet.

"Am I doing this right?" Bulma asked shakily. She had managed to turn herself upside down and hold her body up with just her legs.

"Perfect," Juu said from beneath her. "You're better at this than I thought you'd be. You also learn quite fast. How flexible are you?"

Smiling, Bulma suddenly felt brave. She grabbed back on to the pole and brought one leg towards her head while she hung upside down. "More flexible than I have any business being," she said.

Juu clapped. "Not bad, Bulma. Do whatever feels natural. Just remember not to strain yourself. Pulling a muscle is not exactly something one aspires to do."

Bulma kept moving around the pole. "How did you learn to do this?" she asked.

"It was a form of dance on my planet; used for both competition and exotic purposes. It was also used for exercise. I must say that you're a natural at this. If you weren't already employed by Frieza I might've considered you for a job," Juu said as Bulma changed positions.

* * *

"That has to be the sexiest thing I have ever seen in my life," Raditz said. Turles nodded numbly next to him. The two were watching Bulma and the other women as they danced on the poles.

Nappa came up behind the two and knocked them forward on their faces. "Focus and get some decent training done, you two! This isn't the time to be ogling women!" His gruff voice echoed off the walls and gave almost everyone pause.

"Come on, Nappa. Taking a little break never hurt anyone," Turles said as he rolled over to look up at the older man. "Besides, you have to be cold-blooded not to see that they are pretty nice to look at."

"On your feet. Gawking at sirens will not make you stronger."

Raditz stood up and glanced back at the women. "Yeah, well it never hurt anyone either." The words were barely out of his mouth before he doubled over in pain from the fist that had firmly planted itself in his abdomen. Kakarrot laughed as Raditz fell back to his knees. "Damn you, Kakarrot..."

"It never hurt, huh?" Kakarrot laughed right before Raditz tackled him. Not wanting to be left out, Turles joined the fray and a three-man wrestling match began.

Vegeta rolled his eyes at his comrades' display of immaturity. He would agree that it was somewhat pleasing to the eye watch a woman as beautiful as Bulma swinging sensually around a long metal pole. However pleasing it was did not mean that Vegeta had to give in to his baser instincts and stare unabashedly like his companions. Instead, he busied his eyes by watching the 2-on-1 spar with Chichi and the twins.

Chichi was still steadily handling the twins. She made it look almost effortless. She may not have been the strongest of the Saiyans, but Chichi's craftiness was second only to Vegeta's. Realistically, there was no such thing as fighting fair and Chichi understood that completely. She was throwing every underhanded trick at the twins and coming out on top each time.

 _This is pathetic coming from two members of the royal family. The brats should be ashamed of themselves for letting their caretaker best them_ , Vegeta thought. He could see his sister growing more and more frustrated with each failed attack.  _Keep your head about you, brat! Do not lose it_! Kinomi gave her eldest brother a scathing glare before rushing forward once more. In her careless flight, she nearly attacked Tarble.

"Watching to see if it gets out of hand?"

Vegeta sighed out loud. "I'm fairly certain that won't happen. They can't even land decent hits on the harpy."

Bulma came up beside him and watched the spar. After a few moments of silence, she crossed her arms, mimicking Vegeta's stance. "I think they should fight as a cohesive unit," she suggested.

The idea came as a surprise to Vegeta. He took his eyes off of the others and looked to his left at Bulma. "A cohesive unit, woman? What makes you say that?"

"Well, look at how they fight. They're practically fighting each other just to fight Chichi. Plus, they each have something the other lacks." Bulma noticed the silence. Vegeta was waiting for her to continue. "Kinomi looks to be the stronger of the two. At least she is physically. Tarble's speed is superior to hers. If they fought as a team they'd be able to do a lot more damage."

The elder prince looked at Bulma out of the corner of his eye. She was still watching the fight. It surprised him slightly that she could even follow along, but given her powers he supposed like every other fighter she could sense their movements. "It could work," he said and Bulma beamed at him. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta looked back up.

10 minutes later, Chichi was dusting off her hands as she lowered herself to the floor. Kinomi and Tarble were on their hands and knees, exhausted from the bout. Chichi walked towards them and crossed her arms. Kinomi glared up at her and Chichi just smirked. The princess got to her feet. Before she could speak, someone scooped her up from behind.

"Come on, munchkin. You need to wrap some of those injuries." Raditz slung Kinomi over his shoulder. She fought in his arms and shouted obscenities at him all the way out of the training room.

* * *

Zarbon was coming around the corner when he heard Kinomi and Raditz arguing. He slid into an alcove and peered around the wall to see the two Saiyans heading towards the infirmary that was only used by the Saiyans. There was more yelling and Raditz soon found himself running back out of the room.

"I can handle this myself! Go back to the training room!" Kinomi yelled from inside the room.

"Fine, you spoiled brat!" Raditz yelled back. He walked back in the direction he originally came from in huff, making sure everyone heard his footsteps.

Zarbon smirked and came out of his hiding place. Without making much noise, he moved swiftly towards the infirmary. He peeked inside, seeing Kinomi with her back turned. She was wrapping up her left forearm. She did not seem to notice them. Zarbon walked into the room. He made just enough noise to let Kinomi know he was there.

"I told you to go back to..." Kinomi blinked when she heard the door close. She whirled around to see Zarbon leaning against the door. "What do you want now, Zarbon? Back for more of my tongue-lashings? I had no idea you were such a glutton for ego-shattering revelations." She giggled a little as she thought about her own insult. "That was pretty good one, if I do say so myself."

"You spit on me again," Zarbon stated.

Kinomi sighed and turned her back on him. She began wrapping her right arm. "And you're still sore about it? I'm sure men you've fought before have done far worse than share their saliva with you. Unless, you're into that sort of thing. No judgment," she said, a lopsided grin coming to her face. "Now why..." Kinomi took a sharp breath.

Zarbon removed the long syringe from Kinomi's lower back. "Finally, that loathsome mouth of yours is shut. I almost thought it impossible to get you to be quiet for once. Now," he placed the syringe on the table in front of Kinomi, "you needn't be afraid." He expected her attack and simply caught her fist. He gave it a light squeeze and Kinomi cried out and sank to her knees. Zarbon released her hand.

Kinomi felt like she could barely hold herself up. Her muscles were relaxed; too relaxed. She felt weak. "What... What did you do to me?" she asked quietly. Zarbon kneeled down to her level. He grabbed her by her ponytail and used it to raise her head to look at him. Kinomi opened her eyes. She could not find the strength to fight her way out of the hold.

"I injected you with a very special relaxant that robs you of your strength. You cannot access the tremendous strength you hold as a Saiyan. Well, at least not until it wears off in a few hours. But although you are weakened, you are not numb." Zarbon exhibited what he meant by pulling her to her feet by her hair. He pushed her against the table and leaned over her. "I want you to be able to feel this, little monkey princess." He backhanded her.

* * *

"Why don't you try to fight _with_ your sister?" Bulma asked as she took a seat next to Tarble. He looked over at her as if she was speaking another language. "You two have what the other lacks. You're definitely faster than Kinomi but her strength is greater than yours. If you two worked together instead of against one another, you could best Chichi."

Tarble considered Bulma's words for a second. "You really think so? Kinomi would sooner cut off her own tail before she'd work  _with_  me. She likes to fly solo," he said.

Bulma nodded. "I could see why you would think that. However, you should suggest it to her anyway. You'll never really know her feelings on it until you ask. She might actually think it's a good idea."

The two looked back up to watch Vegeta fight off the other set of twins. He was quite merciless against them. Against the royal twins, Chichi had pulled her punches some. Vegeta was doing no such thing against Turles and Kakarrot. The brothers fought with a peculiar style against Vegeta. At times it looked like they were working together while at others it appeared they were fighting separately. The technique certainly kept Vegeta on his toes. Eventually, Kakarrot received an elbow to the gut while Turles was kicked in his back and fell to the ground.

Nappa crossed his arms as the spar halted momentarily. "It seems he's able to concentrate today. I'm surprised. This is the best he's looked in days; perhaps weeks," he said.

"I agree." Chichi glanced over to where Bulma and Tarble were talking. The usually reserved Tarble was actually smiling and laughing as he talked with Bulma. "Do you think it has anything to do with her? Everyone seems to relax around her."

"I've already told you she's a witch. She's bewitched you all. I was warned about people like her when I still lived on Vegeta-sei," Nappa said. He saw Chichi roll her eyes. "I'm serious. She is anything but harmless. Her mind tricks could take us apart without us being none the wiser."

Chichi looked back over to where Bulma and Tarble were. "She isn't a witch, Nappa. There's no such thing as magic. However, I do agree with what you say about her mind tricks. However, if she can do that to us," she turned her head to Nappa, "the same would go for Frieza and his kind. She does seem to hate him as much as we do."

"Anyone can act, girl. You should not trust her so easily."

"And you shouldn't judge her so harshly,  _man_. You haven't even had a proper conversation with her."

Tarble laughed at a joke Bulma made at his brother's expense. "He's not always wound so tight. At least, he wasn't when we were kids. I only remember a little before Geta was sent off with Frieza and before our planet was destroyed. Geta actually used to smile when he played with us. He said he promised our mother to always look out for us. Once Geta makes a promise, he never goes back on it."

"That is an adorable nickname you've given him," Bulma said.

"Don't let him hear you say that."

* * *

"You're very lucky I can't kill you, little monkey princess." Zarbon watched as she tried to roll over onto her stomach as she lay on the floor. Zarbon touched his cheek gingerly. Surprisingly, Kinomi had started to regain her strength already.

 _I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Saiyans and their damn tolerance for anything. I would have to use as much as I would use for Dodoria in order to keep her down for any length of time_ , he thought morosely.

Kinomi felt like she was going to vomit. She was already spitting up blood. The pain in the lower half of her body was close to unbearable. Zarbon had not been exaggerating when he said she would feel everything. As soon as Kinomi rolled over completely she began to try and push herself up. Her strength was returning little by little. She'd managed to take Zarbon by surprise and hit him in the face. He'd immediately recoiled from her by the shock.

Zarbon stepped over to her and squatted in front of her. He grabbed her chin and lifted her up close to his face. "Do you see what you've done? Frieza will definitely have your head for attacking an officer of higher rank than you." He watched Kinomi crack a smile through the fast-forming bruises and dried blood on her face. "I see nothing funny about your impending demise."

She chuckled again. "If I am to die for simply grazing you, then that is not good enough. I want to be remembered. I want you to  _remember_  me every time you look at that pretty face in the mirror," Kinomi whispered.

"Remember you?"

"Yes. Remember me." Without warning, Kinomi lurched forward and took hold of Zarbon's nose with her teeth. She bit down hard, immediately drawing blood. After the surprise of what she was doing caught up to him, Zarbon pushed her away and she slid across the room and left a bloody trail of her travel.

"You fucking bitch!" Zarbon cried out. He covered his nose with his hand. He looked back over at Kinomi. She was spit out a piece of the cartilage from his nose and smiled, showing her bloody teeth. Zarbon growled under his breath as he searched for something to quell the bleeding. Eventually he found some gauze. "I'll be back for your head," he said as he left the room.

Kinomi exhaled as she heard his footsteps getting quieter. Her entire body was aching. She was not particularly unaccustomed to feeling such pain, but experiencing more than just a beating left her feeling raw on the inside. Kinomi managed to push herself up to lean against the wall. She could bring herself to move no further. She did not know how much time passed before she started to feel faint. Yet, her mind began to clear from the strange fogginess the relaxant had put it in. She sighed and closed her eyes.

* * *

Tarble blinked. Something was wrong. He turned his head towards the direction of the exit. Bulma noticed his sudden pause. He had a look of deep concern on his face. Before she could inquire he shot up and ran out of the room. Bulma also got to her feet. Chichi looked at her for a moment before following after Tarble. Bulma looked over at Vegeta, who seemed mildly interested in the sudden disappearance of his brother while still fending off the brothers. Eventually, Bulma decided to follow after Chichi and Tarble. When she got to their location, she immediately wished she hadn't.

"Oh my..." The words died on her lips as she looked inside the infirmary. It was in complete disarray. Broken glass and medical utensils littered the floor. There was a trail of blood leading from one pool to another. Bulma traced it with her eyes and saw Tarble and Chichi kneeling next to a body resting against the wall. She took a few steps and froze. "Kinomi," she whispered.

Kinomi opened the one eye she could see clearly out of when she heard Bulma's voice. Chichi was currently trying to stop some of the bleeding on her body while also covering her. Tarble was talking to her and trying to get her to focus. Kinomi could not focus on much. She had used most of her energy to call her twin to her. She wanted nothing more than to sleep at the moment. She was exhausted.

 _Where did all this blood come from? I can't see any wound that would_... Chichi's eyes widened when it dawned on her where Kinomi had been bleeding from. She was surprised the revelation had not come sooner given the state of Kinomi's attire.  _Who the hell would do this_?

"What the fuck has happened here?" Raditz's voice boomed as he stepped in the room with Nappa following him. "I leave you alone for fifteen minutes and..." He stopped talking when he saw Kinomi's condition.

"Raditz, go start a healing tank up. It needs to be ready as soon as we move her," Chichi said. She heard no movement behind her. She faced Raditz. " _ **NOW, RADITZ**_!" she yelled. Her voice snapped Raditz into action and he ran from the infirmary.

* * *

Vegeta held up a hand to halt Turles and Kakarrot. Something was not right. Raditz and Nappa had not come back immediately like they had been instructed to do. He lowered himself to the floor. Turles and Kakarrot followed suit.

"What do you think's keeping him?" Kakarrot inquired.

"I say we go find out. It must be important for him to disobey an order," Turles said. "What do you think, Vegeta?"

The elder prince did not answer straightaway. After what seemed like five minutes, he narrowed his eyes. "I cannot feel Kinomi," he said. For the first time, the other two realized that they could not either. The three started walking to the next familiar energy: Chichi. They found everyone in the room where the rehabilitation tanks were.

Chichi, Tarble, Raditz, and Nappa were gathered around a tank that was in use. Vegeta could see from his place in the doorway that the usually blue healing liquid was tinted purple. There was blood in the tank. Someone was severely hurt to have that much blood mixed in so that would alter the color of the liquid. He quickly moved forward and pushed past Nappa and Raditz.

"We found her in the infirmary like this. She was barely conscious and laying in her own blood. Someone beat her." Chichi kept a small bit of information to herself. She would tell Vegeta later when they were alone. "She should be completely healed in about two days."

Vegeta was watching his sister float in the tank with a rather impassive expression on his face. Her eyes were closed. He could see that one was swollen shut, but Kinomi was clearly unconscious anyway. "Is she sedated?" he asked.

"For now she is. She was not aware enough when we found her to tell us what happened."

"She was attacked. She was attacked by..."

Everyone turned to look at Bulma. She was standing behind them on the other side of the room. She had startled them. They had forgotten she was even in the room. Bulma seemed to be seeing something they were not. Her eyes darkened considerably as she seemed to come to her senses.

"Who was she attacked by?" Tarble asked loudly, his temper flaring. "Tell me!"

Bulma looked in his direction. She could see the ire on his face. He wanted blood for what had happened to his sister. He did not even know all that she had been through. She thought it best not to tell him. Then the gravity of what had been done to Kinomi hit Bulma. Her eyes narrowed and she looked towards the exit to the room. Staring blankly at the door, she started to move towards it. "I'll be right back," she said quietly.

Vegeta watched Bulma leave in her trance-like manner. In this situation, it seemed that Vegeta was the only one keeping his cool. He could practically feel the need for vengeance radiating off his comrades. Bulma saying she knew the culprit definitely did not help. Then the woman just left. "Stay here. Watch the tank and alert me if anything changes." Vegeta started walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Nappa asked. He frowned when he got no answer as Vegeta disappeared out the door.

* * *

To say that the soldiers in the fortress were confused when they saw Bulma walking around the fortress without an escort did not nearly cover it. They were confused almost to the point of fear. Everyone knew what would happen if Bulma was touched in a malicious way. They parted as she passed them. Her pace was slow, yet deliberate. She did not deviate from her path nor did she look at anyone. Instead, she appeared to be looking through everyone.

Vegeta caught up with Bulma but followed a few paces behind her. He was curious as to where she was going. He was not sure if Bulma realized he was following her. If she did, she said nothing to him. She continued quietly down the corridors. It did not take Vegeta long to realize they were heading to the living quarters of the higher-ranked officers. His interest rose even further. He had a feeling he knew where she was headed. He walked around her and stepped directly into her path.

Bulma blinked and stopped abruptly when Vegeta appeared in front of her. "Move, Vegeta," she said calmly.

"Why are you heading to Zarbon's quarters?" Vegeta asked. Bulma stared at him for a moment longer before stepping around him. Vegeta reached out for her and grabbed her arm. Bulma whirled on him. He stumbled back from some unseen force while releasing her.

Bulma seemed surprised by her actions but quickly masked it behind a stern expression. "Leave me be, Vegeta." She turned on her heel and kept walking. Vegeta rubbed his aching hand and watched her go. Sighing again, he headed after her at a greater distance.

* * *

Zarbon examined his mutilated nose. No amount of reconstruction would be able to save it.  _I can't believe that little bitch! I should've killed her! This is completely unacceptable_ , he thought angrily. He knew he could not kill Kinomi no matter how much he wanted to. Frieza had made it clear that Kinomi was not to be harmed.  _No matter. She will not be speaking anytime soon. By the time she heals, the punishment will have already been carried out_.

"You and Frieza seem to have a thing for blaming Dodoria for everything. I would've thought there was more camaraderie between at least you and Dodoria. I'm almost disappointed, Zarbon."

The green-haired man turned around. Bulma was walking into the room. She was clearly irate about something. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't plan on doing anything to Dodoria," he lied. "And how did you get in here?"

"I came through the front door. What I do to you next depends on how you answer this next question." Bulma walked up closer to him. "What did you do to Kinomi?"

Zarbon frowned at her. He definitely could not lay a single finger on Bulma. Frieza would not care whose fault it was. He would kill anyone who harmed a hair on Bulma's head. "Nothing that she didn't deserve," he replied.

Vegeta walked in Zarbon's quarters just as a flash of light blinded him. He squinted as the light died down a bit. He walked further inside and saw Bulma and Zarbon. Bulma was... different. Somehow her entire body was engulfed in blue light. She had her back to him. Something about seeing her like this was familiar. It was as if he'd seen this ethereal version of Bulma before. The prince shook his head. He had to stop Bulma before she did anything stupid.

"What are you?" Zarbon asked. He was beginning to feel a bit frightened of Bulma. He had no idea she had any other power besides the ability read minds. What was he looking at now. "Does Frieza know you wield such power?"

"No," Bulma's eyes glowed brightly, "and he won't ever find out, either." Before she could do anything, Vegeta grabbed her arms and pulled them behind her back. Startled by the move, Bulma immediately began to fight her way out of Vegeta's hold. "Release me! If you knew what he did, you'd want to kill him to!" she yelled.

"Woman, calm down and tell me," Vegeta said, unfazed by her screaming. Chichi had easily subjected him to worse. "You've already given away too much," he reasoned. Bulma stopped her thrashing. Her aura subsided and her eyes went back to normal. She looked up at Vegeta's face. With her right hand, she touched his cheek.

* * *

_Zarbon hovered over Kinomi. He had to admit that the little Saiyan princess was beautiful. It was very clear when she was not spewing venom from her vulgar mouth. She was glaring at him currently. He would’ve thought she would’ve been scared; especially considering what he was about to do to her. Instead, there was only pure, undiluted hatred. Why wasn’t she frightened? What would it take to put fear into her heart?_

_He could think of only one thing._

_The Saiyan princess’ eyes widened minutely at the transformation he underwent. She opened her mouth to scream. A fat hand clamped over her mouth. Fear crept into her eyes and Zarbon relished it. It excited him and he grinned at the thought of her feeling everything he was about to do to her. He freed himself and pulled her lopsided bodysuit to the side. Without any warning, he shoved himself inside her. She squeezed her eyes shut. Surprisingly, she made no noise except a sharp intake of breath._

_“It feels as though you were untouched, little one,” he said, his voice deep and grotesque. She opened her eyes. The fear was gone and the hatred was back. Zarbon frowned in disappointment. But he continued, going faster and harder. He began to feel warm moisture from her. He inhaled and the scent of blood wafted through his enlarged nose. Looking back down at the quiet girl, she was squinting in pain but still made no other noises. All she could do was lay lifelessly beneath him while he abused her body._

_It was several minutes before he felt himself nearing his climax. As he did, he lost his transformation. Zarbon closed his eyes and rode out his climax. Just as he was opening his eyes, a fist connected with his face._

* * *

Behind the two, Zarbon watched the scene with strange curiosity. Even if Bulma relayed what he did to Kinomi to Frieza, he could easily use this newfound information about her powers to his advantage. If his nose was not in so much pain, he would smirk at the idea of holding this over both Vegeta and Bulma's heads. Before he could say anything, he was being pinned against the wall by Vegeta. The shorter man held him off his feet.

"You put your filthy hands on Kinomi?" Though his actions were harsh, Vegeta's voice was quite calm. When he got no answer immediately, Vegeta held out his free hand. It began glowing gold with his ki. "I'm not going to repeat myself."

Zarbon laughed. "Vegeta, you and I both know you're not powerful enough to defeat me." He freed himself only to get punched in the mid-section by Vegeta's hand. Whatever ki Vegeta had on his hand drilled right through Zarbon's armor. Vegeta had punched him just hard enough to impale him, but not kill him. When Vegeta removed his hand, Zarbon fell to his knees.

Bulma watched as Vegeta turned on his heel and walked back in her direction. His left hand was dripping with blood. She swallowed hard as he got closer. As he passed, Vegeta took hold of her arm. Bulma started to turn and follow him but pulled away. She ran over to Zarbon and kneeled on the floor.

"Woman, what the hell are you doing? Leave the bastard there," Vegeta said. He turned to see Bulma turning Zarbon's head to look at her. She opened his eyes and stared down at him for a moment. After a few seconds, Bulma stood and moved over to Vegeta. "What did you do?"

"You'll thank me later."

* * *

Frieza looked at Kinomi's unconscious body inside the tank. Her face was recognizable again but many of the wounds on her were still fresh. "So you can't tell me how this happened? Or how Zarbon ended up in a tank as well?" he asked into the air. Dodoria avoided eye contact with the overlord. "Am I speaking to myself?"

"Perhaps they did this to each other, brother," Cooler said from the back of the room. "That thought never crossed your mind?"

"If that was the case,  _brother_ , then why was Zarbon found in his quarters while this one has been here for at least an hour longer?" Frieza glared at Cooler. The older brother simply shrugged. "You don't know? Then stay out of it. Dodoria."

"Yes?" Dodoria stepped up beside Frieza. He had been the one to find Zarbon near death in his own blood.

"Investigate this matter but tell no one the true reason. I don't care how you do it, just make sure you find out what happened," he said.

"Of course, Lord Frieza."

Frieza watched as Dodoria cleared out, leaving only Cooler with him. He looked back at the tank Kinomi was in. She had at the least 40 hours left in order to completely heal. He found it odd that none of her kin was around. Frieza had been informed that they were the ones to put her in the healing tank. But why had Zarbon been found clear across the fortress? The timeline did not make sense.

"Perhaps he did this to her," Cooler sauntered up beside Frieza, "and someone else got revenge. I wouldn't put it past one of her brethren to avenge her. After all, she received far more than just a beating."

"I'm sure she did. Zarbon's quite a charmer," Frieza said sarcastically. "I'm also thinking that there indeed a third party in this. But who? Vegeta would never attack anyone who ranks higher than him. He isn't even close to Zarbon's level."

"Are you sure about that? I heard he trains almost nonstop. Surely his power has grown over time."

"The difference between Zarbon and Vegeta is far greater than even Vegeta knows. Besides, those monkeys cannot raise their potential. At birth they are measured for the maximum power that they can achieve. Vegeta's maximum is nowhere in Zarbon's league," Frieza responded with a matter-of-fact tone.

Cooler nodded. "Have you tested that theory, brother? You said yourself that each generation of Saiyans kept getting more powerful. Isn't that why you killed them off? I mean, eventually one would be born more powerful than even me. Fortunately, you put a stop to that immediately. Also, Zarbon has given us a scapegoat for our father's murder. Imagine that..."

Frieza knew his brother was being snarky just to annoy him even more than he already was. Instead of taking the bait, he turned to walk out of the room. "I must tell Ginyu that he'll have to wait a little longer for his present."

* * *

"You were reckless!"

Bulma followed Vegeta into her room. "You don't have to yell at me. My head hurts enough without your voice echoing through it." She sat down on her bed and buried her head in her hands.

"Your recklessness is second only to Kinomi's. I don't know how you two have survived this long. Just what did you think you were going to do to that fool?" Vegeta was indeed quite irate with her even though he had no idea why he was scolding her.

"I'm actually quite surprised that you're angrier with me than you are with Zarbon. I daresay all this fury is misplaced," Bulma said with a snide tone.

Vegeta glared in Bulma's direction. "You have no idea how  _angry_  I am, woman. I've just learned to hide it better than you have. There are only two things that rob you of your sanity and common sense: anger and fear. I do not have the time to succumb to either."

Bulma looked up at him and blinked a few times. "Wow. That actually is quite a profound statement. I wish I had an ounce of your self-control. However, you do have quite the temper."

"Woman, this is not anywhere near my temper. I'm merely annoyed with you." Vegeta crossed his arms and turned away from her. "Between you and Kinomi, I don't know who will either get killed or drive me mad first. It's like you two need supervision every hour of every day."

"Hey!" Bulma rose to her feet. "I can defend myself just fine! I think I have proven that I can... to a certain extent. And why do you care so much? If I'm such a  _burden_ , you should just wash your hands of me and be done with it! I don't need your protection nor did I ask for it!"

Vegeta turned his head to look at her again. "Woman, you and I both know I can't do that," he looked away once more, "even if I wanted to." He could not decide which way he meant that; in order to keep his sister safe or because he needed Bulma.

Bulma inhaled sharply. She did not know if he knew what he said. She sighed and sat back down on her bed in a huff. "I suppose you can't. As long as Kinomi is protecting me, you have to see to it that she does her job, right? That would mean stepping in when she cannot in order to save her from punishment. I understand." She put a hand to her head again. "I wonder when this pain will..."

Bulma's sudden silence caused Vegeta to face her. She was now grabbing onto her head with both hands. Her face was twisted into a silent scream. Vegeta stepped over to her. "Woman?" He tried to get her to open her eyes. Just as she did, he body was once again engulfed in the blue light. She threw Vegeta back as she stood, still clawing at her head. "Bulma!"

Despite her blinding aura, Vegeta could still feel no power emanating from her. Bulma dropped her left hand from her head. Her right hand remained balled up against where he knew the bald spot to be. With a sudden turn of her head, Bulma yanked something from her head. Vegeta saw something fall from her hand as she dropped it to her side. After that, Bulma's body dropped as well.

Vegeta got to his feet. While Bulma's body had crumpled to the floor, a ghostly figure of her remained standing in the place she once stood. Bulma opened her eyes and looked at Vegeta. A smile crossed her face. She had not yet noticed what had happened. "How do you feel?" Vegeta asked.

"Far better than I did a few minutes ago. Whatever I just took out of my head was what was causing me pain. Where is it?" She looked down on the floor and saw her lifeless body. It took a moment for Bulma to realize what she was looking at. With a gasp, she looked back at Vegeta. "What the hell is happening to me?"


	11. Forced Hand

"Well this gives new meaning to  _out of body experience_ ," Bulma mumbled. She was staring down at her limp body. She kneeled down and examined herself closer. "So this is what it's like to look at yourself from above..."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Woman, do you have any idea how to get back into your body?"

Bulma rose to stand on her feet. "Not the slightest. This has never happened before, Vegeta. I'm not even entirely sure what is going on." She looked back down at the floor. Next to her body's head was a metal object covered in blood. She bent down to pick it up but her hand passed through it. "Doesn't look like I can touch anything either. Could you pick that up and see what it is?" she asked, looking over to Vegeta. Shrugging he walked forward and picked up the chip-like object.

"It's an epsilon chip. Frieza uses these as tracking devices," he said.

"If Frieza had a tracking device on me he wouldn't need to send out half his army to find me. That can't possibly be a tracking device. And why would it be lodged in my head? Don't they usually put those in the base of the spine?" Bulma stepped towards Vegeta as he looked at it. "Good thing it was just under the skin."

Vegeta examined the chip. He noticed a small needle-like object on the underside. He bent down to Bulma's body and looked at the spot where she had removed the chip. There was a small puncture wound but no skin missing other than that. "Artificial skin hid the chip. The chip served some other purpose. Tarble could probably determine what that was," he said.

"That's all well and good, Vegeta. But I'm more concerned about how I'm supposed to get back in my body. I can't even touch myself." Bulma and Vegeta stared blankly at each other. Bulma rolled her eyes. "That did not come out right."

The prince chuckled softly. "You are certain you don't know how to return to your body?"

"Vegeta, if I did I would've five minutes ago." Bulma crossed her arms and walked away from Vegeta towards her mirror. She examined herself. Her hair had been replaced with strands of blue light. "I look like the elder," she whispered.

"Elder? You mean that old woman you said had achieved some sort of higher state of being?" Vegeta asked. Bulma nodded slowly. "Then perhaps you have as well. Surely you must've seen her go back into her body."

Bulma closed her eyes and tried to remember the elder on her planet. From her memories, she could only gather that the woman's ethereal body simply disappeared and her real body was once again reanimated. Bulma turned and faced her own body. She inhaled and slowly exhaled. Then she disappeared.

Mildly concerned, Vegeta glanced around to see where Bulma had gone. He heard a moan coming from below him. Bulma was coming around. He moved back towards her and watched her pull herself upright and lean against the bed.

"That was definitely one of the stranger experiences of my life," she said.

* * *

Juu moved quietly down the dimly lit corridors of the fortress. Night had fallen on Frieza Planet 1 and there were few guards around. The blonde was headed towards the communications room of the fortress. Zangya had managed to lift a passkey to the room from one of the soldiers she was with. Juu reached the large door to the room. After checking that no one was around, she pulled out the passkey from her robes and slid it into the lock. With a quick turn, the door opened and Juu hastily entered.

The lights of the room turned on automatically. Juu glanced around the large room. There were several stations cluttered with different communication devices. Juu only needed the old-fashioned radio. She moved towards the lone desk off in the far left corner of the spacious room.

 _Let's see if this thing even works_ , she thought as she slid into the chair. She knew Vegeta had a radio like this in his residence, but after the events earlier in the day she did not want to intrude on the Saiyan contingent. Making unauthorized calls from Planet 1 was risky in and of itself. The last thing she wanted was for it to be traced back to the Saiyans.

After flipping a series of switches to turn the radio on, Juu began tuning it to the correct frequency. After finding it, she secured the transmission and turned on the microphone. "This is Yellow calling Black." Juu waited a moment. All she heard was static. Narrowing her eyes, she brought the microphone to her mouth again. "This is Yellow calling Black. Respond, Black."

There was few more seconds of static before someone picked up on the other side. " _This is Black. How's it going, Yellow?_ "

Juu rolled her eyes at how relaxed  _Black_  sounded. "What is your status, Black? Where are you?"

" _Still on Alpha Six. How was your meeting with Blue?_ "

"Satisfactory. We seem to be on the same page for now. We had a discussion of other potential allies. One works directly under Frieza and has very interesting abilities. She could be of use to us. How are things on your end?" Juu relaxed back in her seat. It was a full minute before  _Black_  responded to her. Sighing, she leaned forward to the microphone.

" _Some of our... compatriots were restless_ ," came the response.

Juu rolled her eyes. " _Were_  implies that they are no longer restless."

" _That's because they are no longer here._ "

Silence reigned between the two for a few moments. "And do you have any idea where they are headed?"

" _Where else? I believe his words were 'if you want something done, do it yourself.' I had no idea he could be so proactive. He's usually quite slovenly when you aren't here to boss him around._ "

"How can you be nonchalant about this? That idiot is throwing a wrench into our plans. What does he think he can accomplish by going off on his own?" Juu pinched the bridge of her nose. "How many did he take with him?"

" _About half of the forces on Alpha Six. I don't know if he's stopped anywhere to pick up any others. Personally, I think everyone who was stupid enough to go with him needed to go. We're probably better off without them._ "

"And the supplies?"

" _Three flagships were taken, each armed and with at least thirty smaller fighter ships. It's a good-sized army he's got to attack with. However, I highly doubt any of that will work._ "

Juu sat quietly for a moment, pondering her next move. "What about Chrome?"

 _Black_  chuckled on his end. " _He's still here. He tried valiantly to stop Orange from running off. Orange was not hearing any of that._ "

"This idiot will inevitably force our hand."

" _By now he should be about seven days away. What will you do?_ "

"I haven't figured that out yet." Juu heard voices from the corridor. "Time is short. I will contact you again in two days. Be alert." She shut off the connection and turned the old radio off. She soundlessly left the room and began the trek back to the quarters where he ladies waited for her.

Juu was steaming as she walked down the halls. She got a few strange looks from the soldiers that were on guard and milling about the fortress. A few even started to approach her but one cold glare from her blue eyes shut them down wordlessly. By the time she reached her final destination, Juu was red in the face.

Zangya was the first to notice Juu's return. Most of the others were already resting on the mass of pillows they called a bed. Zangya could tell that Juu was in no mood for pleasantries. "By the sour look on your face, I can see that it did not go well," she said. She watched as Juu removed her robe, revealing a bodysuit with several weapons strapped to her person. Then the blonde started pacing as she began removing weapons.

"That fool is on his way here to stage a coup. Does he really think he can win? He doesn't have the resources and he risks exposing our entire operation." Juu paused her pacing. She faced Zangya again. "The Saiyans will not be pleased to hear about this."

"Let me guess. The  _fool_  is none other than Yamcha."

Juu smirked. "Who else?"

"My brothers weren't with him, are they? They normally don't pass up the chance to fight; especially Bojack and Bido," Zangya said. She raised her left hand. Juu noticed the small wire-like strings coming from her fingertips and reaching the high ceiling of the room.

"Your brothers are stupid, but they're not  _that_  stupid. They know I'd kick their asses if they pulled a stunt like that. They also know that we are not ready to stage our attack in earnest. Bojack knows not to jeopardize us. Plus, Nana would've told me if they left."

Zangya retracted the barely visible strings and looked back in Juu's direction. "How long until the dimwit arrives here and what are we going to do?"

Juu sighed and began removing the weapons from her body. She found and spot on the mass of pillows and laid down. "We have no choice but to ride this out. I'll need to tell Vegeta. I can't wait for his majesty's reaction."

* * *

Tarble knocked on his brother's bedroom door. He heard a muffled growl from the other side. Rolling his eyes, he opened the door and entered. Vegeta was laying on his bed, half asleep. Tarble knew he'd spent most of the night before at the fortress, watching over Kinomi and looking in on Bulma. Though he was sure Vegeta would never admit to that last one, Tarble was sure that's what his brother had been doing.

"Do you have something to say or not?" Vegeta's voice was dampened by the pillow his head was buried in. "Out with it."

"Where did you say you got this from?" Tarble asked, looking at the chip Vegeta had asked him to analyze.

"I never said where I got it from. What do you have on it?"

Tarble took a seat in a chair across from the bed. "These chips can have more than one purpose, but they're usually just used as tracking devices. They're basically undetectable and some people probably don't even realize they have one."

Vegeta heaved a sigh from the bed. "You're not telling me anything I don't already know, Tarble."

"I'm getting there." Tarble looked closely at the chip. "This one has a totally different purpose. Its programming is something I've never seen; only imagined. Instead of tracking, this is something of a limiter. I need to know where you found this, Geta. Frieza could be using these on anyone."

Tarble's words got Vegeta to sit up. There was a concerned look on his younger brother's face. Scratching his head, Vegeta sat with his legs and arms crossed. "The woman removed it from her head. It was lodged under some artificial skin on her scalp," he said.

"That bald spot she has?" Tarble lowered the chip. "What happened when she removed it?"

"The damn thing had been wreaking havoc on her head. She... separated herself from her body once she tore it out. She managed to fix herself, but it was still strange."

"Wait!  _Separate herself_? What does that mean?"

"Just what I said. Her consciousness separated itself from her corporeal body. You said that thing is a limiter. What does it limit? Power?"

Tarble came out of his thoughts about Bulma and nodded. "I would assume it limited Bulma's ability to access all of her powers. She told us that she's only really used her ability to read minds. She's just discovering the other abilities she has. I don't think it would be wrong to say that Bulma might be much more powerful than she appears."

Vegeta huffed and glared at the wall. "She has almost no destructive potential. The only reason I can pinpoint where she is all the time is because..." He stopped and looked at his brother. Tarble had looked up from examining the chip. "The only reason I can sense her is usually because she isn't too far from Kinomi."

 _He's lying. Who knew Geta would lie over a girl_ , Tarble thought. He managed to keep a smirk off his face. One would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to notice the way Bulma and Vegeta were around each other. It was subtle since they were still crass towards one another, but it was there nonetheless.

"Well now that this has been removed, Bulma will probably have to learn to control her powers even more. Judging by how powerful this thing was, it'll be like she never had control at all."

"It was limiting her that much?"

"I'm pretty sure Bulma's only used less than a fourth of what she's capable of. That is probably why Frieza had it implanted in the first place."

* * *

Bulma sat in the room where the healing tanks were. Kinomi had yet to wake up, but at least she was recognizable again. The swelling in her face had gone down considerably. From the looks of it, she would have a pretty noticeable scar going down the right side of her face from her forehead to the corner of her mouth. Bulma squeezed her fists together as she took in that information. Kinomi did not seem too hooked on her appearance, but Bulma thought she was stunningly beautiful.

 _Damn that Zarbon. I hope he lives with his scars as well. There's no replacing a nose, is there? Jackass got what he deserved_ , Bulma thought. She turned her head sharply when she heard the door begin to open. She immediately diverted her head. Sighing, she noticed the dent she'd put in the wall.  _I have got to get better control of that. What is wrong with me this morning? My mind has been all over the place_.

Raditz entered the room. He seemed surprised to see Bulma, but said nothing. Instead, he made his way over to Kinomi's tank. A smirk came to his face. "Her first battle scar. She'll be pretty pleased with that," he said.

"Battle scar? When did acquiring a battle scar become a  _pleasing_  thing?" Bulma asked.

"We live for battle. You haven't fought anyone worth fighting if you don't get a scar from them. Kinomi's skin had been flawless. She and Tarble had yet to gain any scars. I don't expect Tarble to gain any anytime soon. She'll be pleased that she left just as big of a lasting scar on Zarbon. I don't think he'll ever show his face properly again," Raditz said with a snicker.

Bulma sighed. She would never fully understand Saiyans. "Vegeta has a lot of scars. I assume he's met plenty of worthy adversaries," she said quietly. She saw Raditz's smile fall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"Vegeta's scars are from protection, not battle." Raditz faced her. "There has never been someone the prince can't handle." His face was stern as he told her this. Bulma stared at him in shock for a moment. Then she smiled.

"Of course there isn't. Vegeta's potential is greater than anyone I've ever come across."

"Just don't let him hear that. His head will inflate so much that it will implode upon itself like a dying star."

Raditz and Bulma looked back at the healing tank. Kinomi's eyes had opened. It was her voice they had heard coming from the speaker on the tank. Bulma stood up and walked over to the tank, smiling at her bodyguard. "How are you feeling in there?" she asked.

"Like shit." Kinomi turned her eyes towards Raditz. "You weren't getting all sentimental, were you? I can't have that," she said playfully.

"Sentimental? I'm not sure I know what that means," Raditz replied with a snort.

"Whatever. How long do I have left in here, Blue?" Kinomi was fighting to stay awake as it was. The only reason she had even managed to awaken was because she felt Bulma's presence in her mind.

Bulma looked at the tank's control pad. "About eighteen more hours." She was unsure if Kinomi heard her. She was unconscious again. "Well, at least she'll be all right. I can't imagine if she'd never talk again."

"Kinomi is too strong for that," Raditz said. He sighed and looked at the wall. "I shouldn't have left her in there."

The telepath had no idea what to say to Raditz's admission. It was unlike any of the Saiyans to say anything remotely emotional. Vegeta had a few slipups, but they were only around her. She clasped her hands together and went back to staring at Kinomi's healing form. "I'm sure she doesn't blame you. No one blames you. Besides, Kinomi fights her own battles. She would've hated you for stepping in."

The larger Saiyan nodded. "She definitely would have."

It was clear as day to Bulma, without even reading his thoughts, that Raditz held some sort of affection for Kinomi. She wondered if he would ever act on it. Then she remembered who Kinomi's older brother was.  _Vegeta would definitely have something to say about that. Who knew that Saiyans can be romantics like the rest of us mere mortals_ , she thought with a small giggle.

* * *

The corridors of the fortress were more crowded than usual. A purge had just finished and those on the purging mission were reporting back to Frieza. Apparently the purging had not gone well. Vegeta only heard random tidbits as he made his way towards the infirmary. Zarbon was due to get out of the tank in 30 minutes and Vegeta wanted to be there when he did. He had a few choice words for Frieza's right hand.

A raven-haired woman with a very bright lip color on walked in the opposite direction of Vegeta. He barely spared her a second glance, but he recognized her as one of Juu's women. She was watching him as she flounced down the corridor seductively. As the two passed one another, their arms touched. Her fingers wrapped around his gloved ones. Before Vegeta could move to reprimand her for being so bold, she flashed him a smile and stepped back, bowing her head.

"Excuse me, Prince Vegeta," she said quietly. She looked up at him and gave him a wink. Then she turned and kept walking in the other direction.

Vegeta squeezed his fists together. Blinking, he felt something crumbling in his right hand. He opened it up and saw a small note. He looked back up and saw the woman had disappeared through the crowd. He returning to walking down the corridors and unfolded the note.

 _**D-Block in 15 – 18** _ **  
**

The prince crumpled the bit of paper and incinerated it in his fists, dropping the ashes behind him as he walked.  _D-Block is where the diplomats are residing. Why would she want to meet there_? Vegeta put it out of his mind for the moment and continued on into the infirmary.

It seemed Vegeta's scheduling was off. When he arrived in the infirmary, Zarbon was already toweling off from a shower. He walked towards the man silently. Just as Zarbon turned around, Vegeta grabbed him around the neck and slammed him against the wall. Clearly taken by surprise, Zarbon clawed at Vegeta's hand. The prince ignored his protests and took in the sight of his mutilated face. A large chunk of Zarbon's nose was missing. There was a large scar down the left side of his face.

"I'd say this new look is an improvement," Vegeta said.

Zarbon finally managed to shake Vegeta off. "Who do you think you are putting your hands on..." Zarbon inhaled sharply as Vegeta took hold of his genitals and squeezed.

"If you ever so much as breathe in the same direction as sister again, I will mutilate you in ways that would make you useless to a woman."

The taller man swallowed. "Frieza will hear of this..." Zarbon said through clenched teeth. In return, Vegeta squeezed harder.

"Is that so? Well, if you want everyone to know that a mere  _monkey_  beat you within an inch of your life by all means report this to Frieza." Vegeta saw Zarbon bite his lip. "I didn't think so." He released the man roughly and turned to walk away.

Zarbon watched Vegeta leave in the same manner in which he entered.  _The gall of the stupid monkey! How dare he put his hands on me_! He looked at himself in the mirror. His hand moved up to touch his nose. While it had healed, there was no replacing the chunk of cartilage that Kinomi had bitten off.  _That little skank will pay dearly for this_.

* * *

D-Block was strangely quiet and the corridors were far less crowded. It was to be expected of the place where Frieza put up his most honored guests. Despite its seclusion from the rest of the noisy fortress, there were many security cameras. It was the least private area in the fortress. Vegeta would have been better off meeting Juu in the boiler room.

The prince walked slowly and deliberately down the corridor. There were a few guards conversing along the walls but none paid Vegeta any mind. He came to a crossing in the hall and looked around. There was no sign of Juu. Narrowing his eyes in irritation, he continued down the hall. He was passing a crossing when Juu came around the corner.

 _It amazes me how she's always the one with the most clothes on_ , Vegeta mused. Juu was wearing long robes that hid most of her body. Her hands were lost in the gigantic sleeves and there was a small train behind her. Vegeta had no doubt that she was hiding several weapons on her person.

Juu looked up and saw him approaching. "Prince Vegeta. It is an honor to see you once again," she said.

Vegeta glanced up for a moment. There were cameras everywhere in the corridor. There were so many that even Vegeta did not know all the locations. He did know one of the few places there were  _not_  any cameras; the most random places ever. Just as Juu got closer to him, he reached out for her and pushed her against the wall. To any passerby it just appeared like Vegeta was engaging a courtesan.

"This is an interesting way to make our meeting seem... inconspicuous." Juu leaned forward, her lips close to his ear. "But there are some who will think such a public display is out of character for a prude like you," she whispered.

Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta grabbed her by the arm. He pulled her a few feet and kicked in a door to a custodian closet. He practically tossed her inside before following and slamming the door shut. He faced her and pulled the string to turn on the single light bulb. "What do you need me for?"

The blonde crossed her arms. "I spoke with my brother last night. He informed me that a few of our... allies got restless and are on their way here to attack this planet. We have six days."

Vegeta blinked a few times, taking in her words. "Are they mad? This is not the place to engage Frieza and it definitely isn't the right time. And how would they even know where Planet One is? No one does. I have told no one of its location."

"That's what I said, but Yamcha is deaf to all reason at times. Even me and my girls were brought here only with Frieza's permission. The fool must've found out somehow, though." Juu noticed Vegeta's eyes narrow. "What's wrong?"

"Yamcha? That idiot bandit that runs around the galaxy stealing from cargo ships?" he asked.

The blonde cleared her throat softly. "Well, we have to get our supplies from somewhere. Someone buying loads of armaments would surely draw attention. So, the easiest route is to just have Yamcha steal some of it to keep them guessing." Juu watched Vegeta cross his arms and look away from her towards the wall. She chuckled softly. "Don't tell me you abhor thieves, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked back at her out of the corner of his eye. "This fool doesn't expect us to join his cause, does he? If anything, Frieza will send us out to eradicate the  _hindrance_. It'll be like squashing a bug under my boot. Does he really think I'll let him live? Frieza will either want him dead or taken into custody for questioning about this rebellion. Torture will make a man say anything."

Juu bit her lip. Yamcha was definitely not the bravest even though he tried to be. If he was captured, Frieza would definitely order him to be tortured. Killing him was no good, either. She knew Vegeta definitely didn't see it that way. Yamcha was either going to force his hand or cause him to choose between killing an ally and condemning him to something even more inhumane. "What will you do then? We are not ready to completely reveal ourselves."

"If anyone is apprehended they will be questioned until they speak. Frieza's methods of torture are not for the weak-minded with false bravado. Your friend is going to die regardless. You should pray that I do not cross paths with him. I cannot afford having anyone with loose lips," Vegeta said. He turned and left the closet.

Smirking, Juu pulled the string to the light. "I would expect nothing less, Vegeta," she said as she followed him out.

Right on cue, Vegeta received a message through his scouter.  _Frieza wants to meet with the officers. How predictable_ , he thought has he turned his scouter off.

* * *

Bulma was examining Kinomi's scouter. Raditz had left it in the room along with a change of clothes and new pair of boots. Bulma wondered why Kinomi used a scouter. In fact, all of the Saiyans wore them. According to Kinomi, they could sense other people and their power without the aid of them. That appeared to be a secret and Bulma was not supposed to tell anyone else that.

 _I wonder how this thing really works though_ , she thought. Looking up, she saw Kinomi was still asleep in the tank. Bulma tentatively put the scouter over her right eye. With a few presses of the button on the earpiece, she got it to work. Several numbers popped up on the tiny screen. She pressed it a few times and a single number popped up. She realized that it was coming from the tank.  _This is Kinomi's energy. It's not very high. I thought she would be more powerful. I guess that's to be expected given her condition_. Bulma continued pressing buttons. A few seconds later, she heard a voice speaking in her ear.

" _All officers are to report to the main hall. I repeat, all officers are to report to the main hall immediately_ ," the voice said.

Bulma removed the scouter. Outside the room she could hear the patter of many feet. She glanced over at Kinomi floating in the tank. Exhaling loudly, she moved towards the door and opened it slowly. The majority of the people had passed already.  _I'm not supposed to go roaming around without anyone with me_ , she thought. After a moment of hesitance, she threw caution to the wind and exited the room.

Walking among the other men was easier than she thought it would be. Normally she would stick out and they would gawk. At the moment, they were talking amongst themselves about the possible scenarios for why Frieza wanted all of the officers gathered in one place. Bulma would probably never admit it out loud, but it was somewhat liberating to be able to roam about by herself. Rarely was she ever alone and now here she was.

Just as she was about to enter the hall with the other men, a hand closed around her left arm and pulled her from the doorway. Bulma gave a little screech before a hand clamped over her mouth. Her back hit the wall and the wind was knocked out of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, ready for anything.

"Woman, what do you think you're doing?"

Bulma opened her eyes and saw Vegeta glaring down at her. The doors to the main hall had shut and the two were left alone in the corner. Bulma motioned to her face and Vegeta removed his hand. "Were you trying to suffocate me or something?"

"I'm just curious as to why you're wondering about this place without an escort. This army wouldn't think twice about having their way with you if they could keep it from Frieza. You shouldn't be alone," Vegeta said.

"I can take care of myself. I think I proved that with Cold. Besides, I was curious to see why Frieza called everyone together."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "There is a hostile fleet heading this way."

"To attack? Here? Why? Who is it?"

Vegeta briefly thought about telling her what he knew from Juu. He quickly put it out of his mind, citing that he did not fully trust her to remain quiet about it. "Does it matter? All Frieza is doing is telling them how he wants these rebels dealt with."

Bulma chuckled quietly. "You'd think whoever this is would have the sense to at least cloak their ships. They're heading into a deathtrap by broadcasting their arrival."

"So it seems."

Vegeta and Bulma turned their heads to see Cooler approaching them. Vegeta stepped in front of Bulma discreetly. His stance was somewhat protective. Bulma took no notice of it but Cooler did. A smirk crossed his face and he stopped walking a few feet from them.

"Is there something you need?" Vegeta asked, his annoyance plain as day in his tone.

"I'm wondering why you are not at the meeting. Surely Frieza will want a few words with you. You are a very valuable asset," Cooler responded casually.

"Due to Kinomi's incapacitation, I am escorting the woman around. She is a  _valuable asset_  as well and I think Frieza would be displeased if anything were to happen to her. I'm taking her back to her chambers and I will speak to Frieza later." Vegeta turned his head to look at Bulma. She was still against the wall and seemingly trying to meld into it.

"I can escort her back. Besides, I'd love a chance to get to know the little flower just a bit more." Cooler looked behind Vegeta and held out his right hand to Bulma. "Come with me. I promise I won't bite."

Bulma chanced a glance Vegeta's way. She knew he could not really go against Cooler lest Frieza hear about it. Swallowing, she took a step forward and put her hand on Vegeta's shoulder.  _I'll be fine_.

The prince blinked as Bulma's hand left him. He'd heard her message clearly. She gave him one last look as she stepped over to Cooler. She then winked and then faced the alien. "Let's go," she said with a fake smile.

Vegeta watched the two leave the area with narrowed eyes. Uncrossing his arms, he headed towards the doors of the main hall and entered the room.

* * *

Bulma walked next to Cooler, looking everywhere but at the alien. True to his word, he was taking her back to her chambers. She wondered why he seemed so interested in her. He never had given her much attention before now. He was attempting to make idle chat with her. Her answers were clear, concise, and short. More than anything she just wanted to be out of his presence. There was an eerie sense of calm around Cooler.

"Do you know why I wanted to get you alone, little flower?" Cooler asked.

The question caught Bulma off guard. She finally looked in his direction. "No. I just assumed you wanted to talk to me since you're the only one who really hasn't," she replied.

"I see. The reason I wanted to get you alone is to ask you about my father's last moments." Cooler watched her face closely, but Bulma gave nothing away. "You were the last person he was seen with."

Bulma sighed. "I didn't slip him any poison, if that's what you're asking. I didn't even see when he died. By then I'd already made it back to my quarters. Then I went for a little walk," she said, her voice even.

"Without an escort?" Cooler pried.

"I don't need an escort everywhere I go. It's just that Frieza prefers that I have one. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm not as weak as most of you seem to believe I am." Bulma stopped walking as they came up to the doors of her chambers. She turned and faced Cooler. "Well, thank you for bringing me back. Good..."

"One more question, little flower," Cooler said, cutting her off. Bulma nodded and crossed her arms. "What exactly are your powers?"

Bulma bit the inside of her lip. She knew she could not tell him the full scope of her abilities. After all, that was something she didn't even know. She knew Cooler was smarter than he appeared and he would probably know if she was lying. "I am capable of aura reading, psychometry, and telepathy," she said. It was not a complete lie. She was capable of all those things. She conveniently omitted other abilities.

Cooler appeared interested for a moment. "Psychometry?"

"By touching an object I can tell where it's been, who has made contact with it, that sort of thing."

"Like a fortune teller?"

Bulma shook her head in an irritated manner. "No. I don't tell the future of it." She looked around. She reached forward and touched the big blue jewel on Cooler's armor. After a moment of silence, she dropped her hand. "That jewel is from Seigyoku-sei. It is a blood jewel," she said. She was suddenly feeling very sick. The history of that jewel was terrible to say the least.

Cooler seemed impressed. "Seigyoku-sei is indeed a rough place. I would not be surprised if this jewel was acquired through less than savory means. That is quite an interesting ability." A crooked smile appeared on his face. "This is where I bid you goodbye. Hopefully we can have many more of these talks." He turned and left her standing at the door.

She watched him turn the corner before going into her chambers and locking every lock.  _If he wanted to he could just blast it open_ , she thought grimly.  _I couldn't get anything off of him. It was almost as bad as Vegeta, but I could tell he was actively trying to keep me out_.

* * *

"There is a fleet heading towards this planet as we speak. No one knows where Planet One is unless they are given direct access codes. It is surrounded by a cloaking shield that is impenetrable. Only three people have these codes and one of them is dead. So how is it that someone has diffused the cloaking device and is less than two days away?" Frieza's voice was very calm despite his obvious irritation.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow.  _Two days? That woman said we had six days. How in this godforsaken galaxy did the fool shave off four days_?

"This planet is my home. It is my sanctuary; my place of zen. I do not come here to wage war, but apparently some upstart thinks he can. So," Frieza faced them all in his floating chair, "does anyone care to explain this strange phenomenon?"

The room was silent except for the breathing of several very nervous soldiers. Frieza glowered down at all of them while tapping his finger against the edge of his chair.  _These are the men in my employ? What sniveling bunch of cowardly assholes_ , he thought angrily. He noticed three men who were actively avoiding looking in his direction.  _I should have Bulma come down here and flush out the treacherous scum. Then again, I haven't killed anything in a few days_. He spotted Vegeta leaning against the wall near the main doors to the hall. He caught the prince's eye and beckoned him forward. The prince uncrossed his arms and moved to the front of the room.

"Vegeta, you wouldn't know who happens to be behind this, would you?"

Vegeta smirked. Frieza was just looking for a reason to kill someone. "Whoever looks remotely suspicious I would do away with. Of course, I'm not in charge so you don't have to listen to anything I say," he replied.

Frieza was surprised that Vegeta could read where he was going so quickly with the line of questioning. Snorting, he glanced back over at the cowering three standing closest to the front. Without warning, Frieza shot slightly past Vegeta's head at the three men. The prince never flinched, but he heard the agonizing cries from the three men Frieza obliterated.

"Feel better?" Vegeta asked.

The overlord stared blankly at Vegeta for a moment before smirking in return. "Only a little, monkey prince. Ready your squadron. You'll be taking out the trash. I want the leader of this rogue faction brought in for questioning. Under no circumstances are they to die. I will deal with them personally."

"Why not send Ginyu and his ilk?" Vegeta asked irritably.

Frieza took a long moment to reply. "Because I told you to do it."

* * *

Bulma walked back into her bedroom after a long bath. It was already dark outside. She glanced down at her hands, seeing the pruning of her hands.  _Perhaps I was in there a little longer than I initially anticipated_ , she mused. She walked to her dresser and dropped the towel covering her as she opened the drawer.

"You really should be more aware of your surroundings, woman."

The telepath jumped nearly a foot in the air before whirling around to see Vegeta sitting on her bed, arms crossed and frown in place. "Damnit, Vegeta!" Bulma picked up the towel and tried to cover herself.

"Woman, I thought we'd already discussed that there isn't an inch of you left to my imagination anymore."

"That's not the point!" Bulma successfully tied the towel back around her. "What are you doing in here anyway? You're lucky Rika is already gone for the night. If she saw you, she'd immediately report you to Frieza." She turned around and went back to looking through the drawer.

Vegeta snorted. "I may be borrowing Kinomi in a couple of days."

Bulma did not turn around. "Why? She'll be out of the tank tomorrow morning and then she'll be back with me. Frieza isn't reassigning her already, is he?"

"In two days, there will be an attack. Frieza has ordered us to neutralize this attack before any serious damage is done. He wants the leader taken into custody so that he may question them."

"Why are you telling me this?" Bulma turned around. She gasped when she saw that Vegeta was directly behind her. She never heard him move.

"I need to know I can trust you."

"Trust me? Why wouldn't you be able to trust me?"

Vegeta continued to stare at her. He took a step forward, backing her into the dresser. He put his hands on the dresser and leaned forward, trapping Bulma. "Can I trust you woman?"

Bulma stared into his eyes. "Yes."

The prince moved in closer to her. Their faces were inches apart. He wanted to make sure absolutely no one would hear what he had to say next. Belatedly, he noticed that Bulma was blushing and smirked. "Listen closely because I will only say this once." He saw her nod slightly, taking care not to move too much lest she kiss him. "I am the leader of a resistance against Frieza. The people who are coming to attack were a part of this resistance, however they have gone rogue and their mission is not part of my larger plan. When I capture this man, Frieza will definitely want you to find out what you can from him. This idiot knows of me, but not my identity. But he knows enough about the resistance to damage our cause. You will need to lie to Frieza."

"Vegeta, Frieza will find..."

"You  _must_  lie to him, Bulma. If you don't, you'll never be free.  _We'll_  never be free."

Bulma was starting to lose focus on Vegeta's face. Her eyes fell to his lips as she pondered her options. He had just entrusted her with something that could get him and his comrades all killed. More than anything, Bulma wanted to be free. She raised her eyes to his once more. "I will. I will protect you as you have protected me."

Being alone most of her life had taught Bulma to hold on to whatever she could that made her happy. Kinomi and her kin had become her friends. If they were searching for freedom, then she would help with that search. It occurred to her suddenly that Vegeta had not moved away from her. He was still studying her face intensely. Again, she felt her cheeks heat up. A thought occurred to her.

"You said my name," she whispered.

"It is yours, is it not?"

"Say it again."

The request seemed strange to Vegeta. What pleasure could she get from hearing him say her name? "Bulma."

"Vegeta." Bulma cracked a small smile. "You are my chosen. I never thought I'd..." She was silenced with Vegeta's lips finally meeting her own. The kiss was aggressive yet somehow sensual at the same time. It did not last long as Vegeta pulled away before Bulma could really register what was happening.

"I am your chosen."

Then he was gone.


	12. In Action

Kinomi flexed the fingers on her left hand after slipping them into a glove. The one thing she hated most about the healing tanks was the numbness she had for a few hours afterwards. Sighing, she started to wrestle her hair into a decent style when the door to the small room opened. Kinomi craned her neck to see who it was. Chichi was walking over to her briskly. The older woman noticed Kinomi struggling with her mane. She smacked Kinomi's hands away. Sighing, Kinomi slumped her shoulders as Chichi's expert hands started braiding.

"I can't believe you still need me to do your hair," Chichi said.

"I don't  _need_  you to do it. If you hadn't noticed, I was working on it just fine. Your assistance was unnecessary," Kinomi snapped back, but she didn't stop Chichi.

Chichi rolled her eyes and continued braiding in silence. After a few moments, she spoke again. "You do know that we have a mission tomorrow, right?"

"I saw the message Geta left in my scouter. Why do we always get the jobs the scrubs can handle? Planet One has guards for this sort of thing," the young princess complained. "Who's going to watch Blue while I'm gone?"

"I'm certain Frieza has his own plans made with her. We're supposed to take the leader of this attack into custody so that Frieza may question him. Or torture. I guess it all depends on how Frieza is feeling." Chichi finished braiding Kinomi's hair and walked around to face the girl. "He might have Bulma there for the interrogation."

Kinomi figured out the implications of this immediately. "Blue said she can't lie to Frieza. He always finds out."

"Well, she's going to try. Vegeta didn't really give her a lot of options," Chichi said.

"Wait!" Kinomi leaned forward. "Vegeta told Bulma about..." She made a motion with her hands. Chichi nodded and the princess smirked. "Well I'll be damned. Looks like he has more trust in her than I thought."

Chichi shrugged. "Perhaps he is too trusting."

"Blue wouldn't hurt a hair on Vegeta's head and vice versa. That reminds me. Perhaps I should get back to doing my job."

* * *

 _He's distracted again_ , Kakarrot thought as he watched Vegeta spar with his brothers. It still frustrated him that Vegeta would not talk about what was troubling him. The prince had appeared to be getting better, but for whatever it seemed he had regressed practically overnight. Vegeta was never much of a conversationalist to begin with, but he was unusually quiet today. It was like half of his attention was somewhere else.  _It's like he's on auto-pilot. This has got to stop_. Kakarrot cracked his knuckles and zipped up to the 2-on-1 spar.

Both Raditz and Turles had to pull their punches to avoid hitting one another. They turned their heads and saw that Kakarrot had tackled Vegeta and taken him down to the floor of the room. The two were now involved in a very heated scuffle. The brothers hung back and watched the youngest of them fight their prince.

"Fifty credits say Kakarrot wins," Turles said.

"You're on," Raditz responded. The two flinched when Nappa smacked them both on the back of their heads. "What was that for?"

"Betting against the prince?" Nappa looked past them at the rowdy brawl going on between the other two men. He stroked his goatee for a moment. "Kakarrot would definitely win this one if Vegeta keeps this shitty performance up."

Vegeta found himself grappling with Kakarrot. "You interrupted my spar with your idiot brothers, Kakarrot. You'll have your time to shine next," he said. Kakarrot snorted and eased up momentarily. Before Vegeta could react, he found himself on his back watching Kakarrot's foot come towards his face. Vegeta reached up and grabbed Kakarrot's foot as it came down. With a jerk, he threw the larger Saiyan away from him and sat up.

As Vegeta was standing, he was tackled again by Kakarrot and his fists. Vegeta fought him off once again and landed a punch square in Kakarrot's face. Kakarrot stumbled backwards before falling on his backside. Vegeta straightened up and saw that Kakarrot's nose was sitting at an odd angle with blood running from it.

"I was wondering when you'd get serious," Kakarrot said while standing. "Ready?"

"I know what you're trying to do, Kakarrot. I'm not going to have a  _heart to heart_  with you. Who do you take me for? That wench you follow around?" The words had barely left Vegeta's mouth before he was doubled over from Kakarrot's punch to his gut.

"You will not speak about Chichi that way."

Vegeta spat to the side and stood up straight. "Bastard..."

* * *

Chichi and Kinomi walked in on the scene of Kakarrot and Vegeta pummeling away at each other. Sighing, Chichi started to go after them. Kinomi placed a hand on her shoulder. "They're going to hurt themselves if this gets out of hand. They don't know restraint at all," she said.

"I thought you would've realized by now that this is the way Vegeta communicates his feelings," Kinomi said with a wry smile. "They'll be done in a moment. Plus, judging by Kakarott's stance, I'd say Vegeta said something offensive to you." She laughed at the older girl's facial expression.

The spar ended abruptly when they both stopped on the ground, finding one another in a hold. Kakarrot stared with his eyes narrowed at Vegeta. Finally, he eased up and softened his face. Vegeta released him as well, but remained scowling at him. Kakarrot gave him a goofy smile and clapped him on the back before walking off.

Vegeta crossed his arms and huffed.  _As if I would ever do that. You're a fucking idiot, Kakarrot_ , he thought.

 _Now, now, Vegeta. No need for the name-calling. But, I do think you should act on it_ , Kakarrot responded.

The prince continued to scowl and did not send a reply back. He instead noticed his sister standing with Chichi. He gave her a slow once-over. Seeing that she was in fine, he beckoned her over along with Tarble. "Spar," he said simply. The twins exchanged perplexed glances. They almost never sparred with one another. They could count on one hand how many times that had happened before.

Kinomi crossed her arms and shook her head. "No. Tarble is too easy."

"I am not! You're the one who telegraphs every single move you're about to do. I know your whole plan of attack before you even move."

"Ugh! Stay out of my head!"

"Learn to block me out!"

Vegeta grabbed both by their heads and rammed their foreheads together. "Spar," he repeated as he walked past them.

The twins glared at one another again, rubbing their respective foreheads. After a moment, Tarble was dodging Kinomi's attacks with relative ease. He found an opening but Kinomi easily countered him and slammed him into the ground with even more ease. Tarble recovered and went after his sister again. The spar took an interesting turn.

Raditz watched with a rather critical eye. On the rare occasions when the twins did spar, the victor was always Kinomi. Tarble was never aggressive enough to beat his sister even with his superior speed. But as the current spar was folding out, either Tarble was being super-aggressive and it caught Kinomi off guard or Kinomi was fighting with fear. Something was clearly bothering her. Her style was 100% aggression at all times; no backing down and no retreat.  _Defensive_  was something Kinomi did not understand. She was always offensive.

At the moment, she was not. It showed and it showed in the way even the simplest techniques were coming to her.

 _I'm losing this_ , Kinomi thought as she blocked her brother's leg with her knee. She spun around to kick him with her free leg, but she only connected with air. Tarble appeared behind her and she barely had time to block properly. The punch broke through her defenses and he sent her flying backwards.

"This isn't like Kinomi at all. What's with the tame attacking? Normally she's close to berserker even when she spars. Right now it's as if she's second-guessing everything," Kakarrot observed.

"That's because she is," Vegeta mumbled as he watched Kinomi recover slowly. She had a busted lip, but she was no worse for wear. Had Zarbon's attack on her caused more than physical damage?

 _I can't lose this. I never lose_ , Kinomi told herself. She brought herself up to her full height. She saw Tarble looked stunned at his accomplishment. She took a single step forward with her right foot and then disappeared from Tarble's sight. The younger prince jumped up and away to avoid Kinomi's smash coming from above. Instead, her foot cracked the flooring of the room. She looked up and took off after her twin.  _I will not lose this_.

* * *

Bulma awoke with a start the next day. There was something strange about the area around her. Something was off. Bulma sat up quickly and looked around. It was barely morning and the planet's sun's light was beginning to seep through the curtains. There was nothing out of place and there was no one in her room. She stood up and made her way to the bedroom door. Before she started to open it, she heard a small noise that sounded like a cross between a choke, cough, and a sob. Bulma opened the door and stood there for another moment. Then she ventured out towards the living room.

Kinomi sat on a couch in the dim room. She was staring straight ahead at the wall. Bulma made her way slowly towards the couch across from where Kinomi sat. The telepath had seen neither hide nor hair of any Saiyan the previous day. She'd spent the day in her room, even though Kinomi was supposed to return after her stint in the healing tank. Bulma sat down and said nothing. She did give Kinomi a quick once-over, though.

The Saiyan princess appeared to be okay. She had retained the scar on her face, but she looked none the worse for wear. Something was wrong, though. Kinomi's posture was awkward. She appeared to be shrinking away from Bulma. The younger girl always sat so proudly; her head held high and with an air of superiority about her. That was all absent from her at the moment. Bulma remained silent, though.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Kinomi inhaled. "I trained all day yesterday. I wasn't strong enough," she said simply. Bulma waited a moment to see if there was anything that was going to follow that statement. Kinomi sighed and looked down at her hands. "I should've been stronger. I'm a Saiyan female. I should've been stronger."

Bulma cleared her throat, gaining Kinomi's attention. "Stronger? You're already very strong. Why would you need to be stronger?" she asked.

Kinomi stared blankly at Bulma for a moment. "Because I was weak." She could see that Bulma had no idea what she was talking about. "I'll be the first to admit that Saiyans were not the most  _civilized_  of races. Nappa said that was something we owned. We could be barbaric, but that was our prerogative. Saiyans are warriors first and everything is a battle for us. Saiyan women are supposed to be the strongest."

Bulma did not like where Kinomi was going with this conversation. However, it looked like it was something she needed to get off her chest. "What do you mean by that?"

"Everything was about dominance or a way to show you were superior to the next person. Your pride was as important as the air you breathed and the blood that pumped through your veins. Do you know what the most common way of attaining a mate was in ancient times?"

"I'm sure you're going to enlighten me, but I'm also sure I won't like what I hear."

Kinomi smirked. "Nappa said that men would simply force themselves on the woman of their desires. If she could fight him off with success, then she would prove to be the strongest and he would not be her mate. She could even go so far as to kill him for attempting such a thing. Nappa told me that is why female Saiyans are the fiercest. Saiyan women had to learn to fight from birth; fight for their honor." She paused for a moment. "I wasn't strong enough to defend my own honor."

Bulma took in her words. Kinomi was blaming herself. "He can only besmirch your honor if you allow him to. You're stronger than that. Besides," Bulma moved to the couch where Kinomi sat, "have you seen his face lately? I swear it looks like someone took a bite out of his nose."

"It wasn't that good." Kinomi looked a Bulma out of the corner of her eye. "It was pretty tough. It definitely could've used some sort of tenderizer," she said thoughtfully.

* * *

Vegeta stood on a plateau near the fortress. He could sense the fleet nearing Planet 1. They would be there within the hour. He did not move when he heard movement behind him. His eyes stayed trained on the orange sky.  _This type of work is beneath me. I should kill this bastard just to spite Frieza_ , the prince thought darkly. He sighed and finally looked away from the sky.

"Done brooding?" Juu stood there looking at Vegeta. She was fiddling with a scouter. Vegeta recognized it as his own. She pushed a few buttons on it before tossing it to him. "I added a few things to it. It should help you see those ships. Right now you can only feel the fleet's presence. But can you see them?" she asked, gazing off at some point past him.

Vegeta looked to where she was looking. He saw nothing. Then he put on the scouter and turned it on. Red dots started popping up all over the small screen. "This is a much larger fleet than what I initially thought. Impressive that this idiot could amass such a following in such short time."

"Yamcha can talk a good game, Vegeta. It's one of his many talents. Backing that talk up is what his problem is." Juu turned to walk away. "I'll be seeing you."

"Is there any special weaponry I should know about?" he asked quickly.

Juu stopped to think. "I highly doubt he's acquired it, but we were looking into ki suppressors of some sort. If he were to have any now, they would only be little guns. We've no way to use that type of weapon on a large scale yet." She turned to see Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What?"

"You do realize that ki suppressors will also hinder my ability to fight, right?"

"Yes. But they're only guns and you can move faster than the speed they shoot at. So... dodge." She turned a walked directly off the plateau. Vegeta's frown deepened and he saw her land gracefully on the ground 500 feet below him. He turned to look back out at the incoming fleet.

 _Let's get this over with_.

* * *

Bulma sat outside the Saiyan house, watching the sky. She did not know what she was looking for. She was not even sure that she could see anything outside the atmosphere of Planet 1. Bulma knew one thing, though.  _This day is not going to end well_ , she thought sourly. She inhaled deeply and started to stand. Just as she was about to pull herself up to her full height, something was inches away from her. Bulma wobbled and tried to keep her balance but she lost the battle. A hand closed around her flailing right arm and pulled her back upright.

"Silly woman," Vegeta said. He tried not to laugh at the frustrated expression she was giving him. She pulled her arm from his grasp and punched him in the chest. He noticed her bite her lip. Crossing his arms, Vegeta just watched her try to keep a straight face. After a solid minute, she caved and began rubbing her hand.

"What the hell are you made of? I almost broke my damn knuckles!" Bulma held her hand close to her chest. "I think my fingers are numb."

"That should teach you to keep your hands to yourself. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in your rooms or with Frieza?"

Bulma lowered her hand and stood up straight. "Kinomi said she doesn't trust anyone in the fortress while there is an attack going on. People could start panicking... I could get lost in the fray... Yadda yadda yadda... So she thinks I'm safer here until you guys get done. We'll all go to Frieza after this and everyone will be happy." She gave him a smile.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta started to step around her. Bulma watched him head into the house and start barking orders. One minute later, Raditz and his brothers stumbled outside. Tarble followed with Nappa and Kinomi. Vegeta came outside again. Bulma noticed they all wore their scouters. Vegeta gave them another order and they all began adjusting the scouters accordingly. Then they all looked towards the sky.

"Those are the ships. No one else knows this frequency so don't tell anyone about it."

"Nice cloaking system," Tarble said in wonder. "There's tons of them. We're going to take on an entire army by ourselves?" He turned to look at Vegeta. The elder prince just narrowed his eyes, telling Tarble that his question was stupid. "I guess we are."

"So what's the plan of attack?" Turles asked, still staring up at the sky. "Tarble's right. There's tons of them. It seems to be mostly fighter ships, though. So what's the plan?"

"Kinomi and Tarble." Chichi stepped outside, making sure her scouter was secure on her face. On her left eye, she wore something similar to a scouter but it was far smaller. It barely covered her eye, but Bulma could see it was also showing her information on the small, thin screen.

"Yeah?" Kinomi looked back at Chichi.

"Take out the fighter ships. Lead them away from the larger ships. Kakarrot and Turles, if anything else comes out of those ships shoot them down. Raditz and Nappa, take out the surrounding larger ships but  **NOT**  the main flagship. Vegeta and I will take the main ship and search for the leader. Juu gave me the correct signature to look for. Now get going." As soon as she was done talking, the other six took off, leaving Bulma standing with Chichi and Vegeta.

"So what do I do?" Bulma asked quietly.

Chichi finally took notice of Bulma. "Stay here and stay out of sight. If a ship somehow gets passed us, they're more likely to head for the fortress than here. Do you have something to defend yourself with?" She saw Bulma pick up a small but powerful gun that the soldiers who lacked the skill of ki manipulation used. Chichi nodded. "Well, go hide. We'll be back to get you and take you to Frieza."

Bulma watched Chichi take off. She watched her fly off before looking at Vegeta. She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. "Watch out for yourself out there," she said. She did not know what else to say.

"Woman, no one up there can touch me. The only thing I'll need to watch is keeping dirt off my boots." Vegeta smirked and unclipped his cape. "Hold this." He tossed his cape to Bulma and walked away. After taking 5 paces, he took off after Chichi.

* * *

Tarble flew next to his sister. She had been silent the entire way. They were getting closer to their opposition and they had yet to discuss how they were going to approach it. "We work together, Kinomi. This will go by much faster if we do that," he said loudly. He saw his sister look at him out of the corner of her eye. She nodded subtly before dropping below the clouds. Smiling, Tarble followed after her.

It only took the fleet moments to notice the two small Saiyans flying towards them. A few broke the formation. Kinomi saw Tarble about to follow and shook her head. "Keep to the ones closest to the main ships. If we head towards them first, they will all scatter and leave the larger ships for the others. I'll take the left," Kinomi said. Tarble nodded and they split up just as the fighters opened fire.

Kakarrot saw the flashing lights off just ahead of them as they levitated in the sky. "Looks like they've started the attack on Kinomi and Tarble," he said.

"That's our cue." Turles looked over at his brother. "Let's get started." The two began to drop below the clouds. Once past them, they saw that the majority of the smaller ships were flying around, trying in vain to avoid or kill the younger set of twins. The larger ships were mostly left unattended except for one or two stationed alongside them. Turles found this strange. "Looks like our job will be fairly easy."

Kinomi dropped down into one of the fighter ships, going straight through the roof and into the small cockpit. The rebel inside screamed and tried to right the ship. Kinomi strolled up to the seat, took the rebel by the head, and snapped his neck. The ship began losing altitude. Kinomi blasted her way out of the ship as it began a fast descent to the ground. "They're pathetically weak," she said to no one in particular.

"That doesn't mean you should let your guard down," Tarble replied in her scouter.

"Whatever." Kinomi turned her body just as two purple lasers shot directly through her. Up until that point, the ships had only been shooting yellow lasers at them. Those lasers had managed to burn or chip away at their armor, but were far too weak to do any real damage to a Saiyan. But these lasers appeared to do absolutely nothing. Kinomi looked for where the lasers had come from. One of the flagships had shot at her. "Kakarrot, I thought you guys were supposed to be taking care of them!"

"Not us! That's Nappa and Raditz's job!" Kakarrot responded quickly.

Rolling her eyes, Kinomi started to move again. Her eyes widened when she suddenly felt her ki plunge into near nonexistence. The feeling was similar to when Zarbon had injected her with the relaxant, only this time her muscles did not relax. Instead, she tensed up as she realized that she was about to plummet to her death. Flying required ki and without it she was no more mobile than Bulma was. As she began falling, a fighter ship slammed into her body, knocking her out. Her scouter fell from her head.

Tarble's eyes widened and he gasped as if the air had been taken out of him. He paused, feeling his sister disappear from their mental rapport.

Everyone winced as they heard the high-frequency screeching in their scouters. Nappa looked around as he landed on one of the large ships. "What the hell was that?" He turned to look at Raditz. The other man was squinting at some point in the distance. Then he disappeared. "Raditz, get back here!"

Raditz plowed through the fighter ships, easily taking out about 10 on his lightning-speed descent. Right before she crashed into the rocks below, Raditz caught Kinomi. She was unconscious and it looked like she had hit her head very hard on something. Other than that, she was fine and alive. But there was something strange about her.  _Her ki is off_ , he thought. It was there, but it seemed like it was being contained.  _A limiter_...

"Guys, we have a problem! They have limiters!"

* * *

Cooler could see the fighting going on in the distance. He turned his head to look at his younger brother. Frieza appeared unconcerned and was instead enjoying a glass of wine. "You are not in the least bit interested in the outcome of this battle? You are that confident that the Saiyans have this all under control?"

"Of course. What kind of leader would I be if I didn't trust my men to do their jobs properly? The Saiyans have never failed before and they won't fail now. Not if they value their princess' life," the overlord replied coolly. "Besides, metal ships and guns are no match for the raw power a Saiyan possesses."

"You're actually praising them. This is rare."

Frieza chuckled softly. "Cooler, even I can recognize and appreciate strength where it lies. They will never be as strong as you or even me, but the Saiyans do have respectable power. One would have to be ignorant to deny it."

"That is one of the reasons you eradicated the rest of their race, I suppose. Still, I wouldn't leave everything up to them. That's an entire army that eight people are taking on."

"I never knew you were so concerned, brother." Frieza looked over at him. "You're not growing soft, are you? Don't worry. You'll have your pet soon enough. Vegeta won't allow her to die."

Cooler tapped his finger on the railing of the balcony he stood on. "You haven't even told them yet, have you?" He saw Frieza smile and take another sip of his wine wordlessly. "I see." As the words left his mouth, several explosions rocked the fortress. Just as it was registering for Frieza and Cooler, several more explosions went off. The brothers looked at one another, confused by the sudden turn of events.

* * *

Bulma could see the ships clearly now. She saw the fighting and the flashing lights. She wondered if the leader had been captured yet. She wondered if everyone was doing well in their battles. She wondered if Kinomi was doing okay. Mostly, she wondered how Vegeta was doing. Squinting, Bulma tried to see more clearly through the window.

 _Is it just me or are they getting closer_? she mused. Without warning, an explosion of some sort sent her tumbling to the floor. Groaning, Bulma made it back to her feet. She went to the front door and stepped out onto the porch. She glanced towards the fortress and saw the smoke a flames. A few more explosions went off, causing more small tremors.  _What the hell? Did some of those ships make it past them_? Bulma looked back towards the fighting.

A bright light shot down from the largest of the ships. It seemed to go all the way to the ground. For a moment, nothing happened. Bulma had to grab hold of the door in order to stay afoot as the next tremor shook the house. This tremor was far more violent than the ones that came from the fortress. It started off small and faint before growing into something earth-shattering. Bulma spotted cracks moving along the dusty ground that surrounded the house.

"What is going on?" she whispered.

Noise from the other side of the house startled Bulma. She listened closely and then heard voices. There was someone inside the house. Squeezing the small gun in her hand, Bulma slid down against the wall by the front door.

"There's no one here!"

"Maybe they're the ones that Frieza sent to attack the fleet."

"He should've sent regular soldiers. The limiters will easily do away with the Saiyans. Without their power they're just as weak as the next common man."

 _Three. There's three of them_ , Bulma thought. She heard footsteps coming towards the front door. Raising the gun, Bulma pointed it up. As soon as the screen door opened, she pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed on her face as the soldier dropped to the floor. Bulma had little time to dwell on her kill. She scooped up the two weapons the dead man had and crawled back inside. The other two had heard their friend's demise and were coming to spy. Bulma hid behind a couch and waited.

"What the hell happened to him? I thought no one was here!"

"Obviously that isn't the case, is it? Be on your guard. We don't know what..." The one speaking didn't finish as Bulma shot him through the head. Having seen where the shot came from, the remaining intruder pulled his weapon and began shooting towards Bulma. She ducked behind the couch and scurried away as he kept shooting. He shot the weapon from Bulma's hand. Wincing, she grabbed the dead man's weapon and shot it at the other man. After a few misses, she managed to hit him in the arm and the chest. It was difficult shooting with her left hand. The other man shot the weapon from her, injuring her hand once more. Before she could turn and run, the man had her pinned against the wall with his gun to her head.

It took him a moment to recognize her. "You're Frieza's little bitch. What are you doing out here by yourself? You're supposed to be in your room. This is definitely a surprise and it kills two birds with one stone," he said with a grin. Bulma remained silent and took the time to get a good look at him. He was much taller than she was; perhaps Nappa's height. He was not nearly as muscle-bound, though. Instead he was thin and lanky. His species remained a mystery to her, but he could have belonged to either the Saiyan or her own race. He shook Bulma, knocking her head against the wall. "Are you going to answer my question?"

Bulma raised her eyes to his. She then shook her head. He released her and his hand went across her face. Bulma fell to the left. She tried to break her fall but her bloody and burnt hands prevented her from doing so. Moaning in pain, Bulma rolled over and kicked the man as hard as she could. He ended up on the floor as well. Without the use of her hands, Bulma scooted against the wall, putting distance between them.

"You little bitch!" He aimed his weapon at Bulma. She did not blink as he pulled the trigger. She could see the red laser ready to leave the gun. Instead, it remained in the barrel. The gun backfired violently on the man, sending him flying to the other end of the room. His arm and half of his torso was missing, but he was certainly dead.

Bulma released the breath she had been holding. She felt something warm running from her nose. She raised her right hand and smeared blood onto it.  _Another nosebleed. I guess that required more effort than I thought_. She got to her feet and went in search of something to dress her wounds with.

* * *

The limiters caused the Saiyans to tread much more carefully. Almost every fighter ship had been destroyed. Getting close to the main ships had proven to be much harder. The guns on the ships were not destructive. If one of the Saiyans was to get hit by a shot from one of them, they would immediately be zapped of their ki, unable to use it. The effect would not be permanent, but even a Saiyan could die from a fall from the sky.

"If we can't get close to the main flagship, we can't get the leader," Chichi said.

"I'm more concerned with what's happening to this planet." Vegeta was levitating above a large crater. There was a hole at the bottom of it. Through this hole was what looked like lava starting to seep through it. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that this planet is about to be destroyed."

Chichi stared at him skeptically. "That little blast is destroying the planet? How is that possible? There is nothing capable of doing such a thing." Vegeta gave her a look and Chichi rolled her eyes. "I mean there's no machinery that I know of with that ability."

"Until today there was also nothing larger than a handgun that could be used as a ki suppressor but that changed in a hurry, didn't it?" Vegeta turned to look at the fortress. "I'd say this attack is more than just this fleet of ships. This was definitely an inside job."

"You think it was that woman?"

Vegeta did not answer right away. Instead, he continued to look off in the distance towards the fortress. "No. I believe her when she said she had nothing to do with this. I believe we can use this situation to our advantage, though. Call the others back and head to the hangars at the fortress. This planet is done for."

Chichi watched Vegeta take off for their home. Biting her lip, she contacted the others. "Change of plans. Head towards the fortress' hangars. Vegeta is up to something."

* * *

"This is a most precarious situation, brother. Who knew you had rebels right under your nose. I guess you can't find good help anywhere these days." Cooler was watching some of Frieza's men battling outside of the fortress. By now the fortress was in shambles. Cooler could see the ground starting to break up outside. "I do believe this planet is becoming a little unstable."

Frieza grunted and poured himself more wine. "I'll leave eventually. I'm waiting for someone," he said lackadaisically.

"Ah yes. You're waiting on Bulma, right? We can't leave without your moneymaker. But what about Vegeta? Are you willing to throw him to the dogs already? You haven't even carried out your plans with him."

The overlord laughed. "Brother, if there's one thing I've learned about Saiyans it's that they're exceedingly hard to kill. Their survival instinct is second to none."

"And yet, a measly eight remain," Cooler said.

"Perhaps I should rephrase that.  _Vegeta_  is exceedingly hard to kill. The monkey would sooner talk himself to death than be killed by something as insignificant as a planet exploding. There are far more glorious ways to die and that is not one of them." Frieza sat his glass down as Zarbon came in the room. The green-haired man wore a face mask of sorts to hide his disfigurement. His knuckles were red with blood but he looked unscathed. "Well where is she?"

Zarbon sighed. "She wasn't there. No one was there, not even her maid," he replied slowly.

Frieza's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean  _she wasn't there_? Where else could she be? She's supposed to be in her quarters. Did she just up and leave? Unless she has gained the ability to teleport from planet to planet, she should still be within this area. Find her and do it quickly."

"But my lord, do you not think it wise to..."

"You try my patience, Zarbon. Go find her and bring her to me." Frieza's tone left no more room for rebuttal. Zarbon nodded and headed back out of the room.

* * *

Bulma bent down to retrieve one of the weapons left over from the earlier firefight. Her hands were wrapped with gauze. The pain had subsided some but it still hurt to bend her fingers. She walked to the front door, stepping over the dead men as she did so. As soon as she got outside, she was wobbling back from a body suddenly being directly in front of her. Again, her fall was stopped by a hand grabbing onto her arm.

"Woman, you really should be more..." The words died on Vegeta's lips as he took in the sight behind Bulma. He then looked at her. She appeared a bit tired and her hands were clearly injured but she seemed fine. "We're leaving."

The words took Bulma by surprise and she looked at him strangely. "What? Leaving? Where are we going?" she asked. Vegeta scooped her up in his arms, ignoring her completely. "Vegeta, tell me where we're going!"

"It's a surprise." He took to the sky.

* * *

 _I cannot believe that asshole has me running away like this_ , Juu thought angrily. Her ladies were in the process of stealing a small ship from the hangar to escape in. Those who weren't fighting off the rebels were trying to get away. Juu had no intention of fighting a battle that wasn't her own. She wondered for a moment how the Saiyans were faring and found herself hoping they would come away from this unscathed.  _Vegeta cannot be happy with this turn of events in the least_.

"We're ready to go, Juu," Mai called from the door to the ship. Juu nodded and turned around. Before she could take a step, she was being held against the wall clear across the hangar. Mai yelled out and the rest of the women came running. They were stopped by Nappa and Turles.

Chichi did not like how calm Juu looked. "I can snap your neck in ten different ways. Tell me the truth. Did you know anything about the extent of this attack?" she asked.

Juu stared down at her. She took hold of Chichi's hand and pulled it away from her. Chichi's breath caught; she was surprised by the strength Juu had. Juu eased up off the wall and straightened her clothes. "I told you everything I knew. I'm sure not even my brother knew the entire plot of Yamcha's idiocy. I am just as surprised by all of this as you are," she answered tersely.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't need you to. If I were you, I'd get off this planet. If I'm not mistaken, the planet's core has been compromised and it will not last too long." Juu glided past Chichi. When she made it back to the ship, she saw Raditz holding Kinomi in his arms. "She was shot with a suppressor?" she inquired. Raditz nodded. Juu boarded the ship. When she returned a moment later, she held a bag of little white cubes.

"What's that for?" Tarble asked, taking it from Juu.

"It's sugar cubes. She'll need a sugar rush when she wakes up. I don't know how much she'll need so I'll just give you the entire bag. Sugar is easy enough to come by." Juu turned around and boarded the ship. "See you soon," she threw over her shoulder.

The Saiyans watched as the ship started and flew out of the hangar. Just as it was gone, Vegeta appeared with Bulma in his arms. He sat Bulma down and the telepath ran to where she saw the unconscious Kinomi. She looked over the younger girl. Seeing that she would be fine, Bulma breathed a sigh of relief.

"What now?" Kakarrot asked after a long moment of silence.

"Get in pods and leave the planet. The crust is already starting to break apart. We need to leave now." Vegeta walked over to a control panel. Eight pods rolled onto the loading bay. "Our destinations are out of the PTO's range but they're all different. It would be best if we did not travel as one big group."

Nappa looked down at Bulma. "What about this one?"

"She's coming as well."

"You can't be serious, Vegeta! Frieza will search for her personally and he will not stop until he finds her. She'll just attract him to us!" Turles said loudly.

"And what do you propose? We just leave her here to die? We don't even know if Frieza will bother to come looking for her," Chichi said.

"We are not the girl's caretaker. She is nothing but trouble," Nappa spoke up.

"Are you guys seriously considering just leaving Bulma here?" Kakarrot asked.

"She isn't our responsibility!"

Bulma listened to her Saiyan friends argue about what to do with her. She wanted to speak up about her position on it. No one ever asked her if she wanted to tag along in the first place. Why were they fighting about it? She opened her mouth to speak but Vegeta beat her to it.

"Silence!" he yelled. Everyone stopped screaming at one another and looked to their leader. "The woman is coming with us and that's final. Now get in your pods. We're splitting up randomly so I don't know who will end up with..."

 _Shit_ , Bulma thought. She turned her head towards the doors to the hangar.

"Zarbon's coming!" she yelled. Those two words set everyone into motion. The pods were off in a matter of minutes. Raditz stuffed Kinomi in one and made sure it was sent off properly. After he left, only Vegeta and Nappa remained. Bulma was squeezing her weapon, ready for anything to come through the door.

"Get in your pod, Nappa. You can't take Zarbon. Then I'd end up having to defend both you and that weak woman," Vegeta said, still programming his own pod. A rumble passed through the hangar. The planet was getting more and more volatile. "That's an order, Nappa."

The older man stared at his prince before turning his sights on the blue-haired young woman watching the door nervously. His eyes shifted back to Vegeta. "I expect to see you soon, my prince." The surly Saiyan stalked over to his pod and sat down in it hard. The door closed in and in seconds it was off.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and he continued programming his pod. He finally got another pod to come down to the hangar. Just as he started to program it for Bulma, Zarbon came through the door. He immediately zoomed past Bulma and tackled Vegeta. The Saiyan prince growled as he felt something drill into his side. How had he not sensed Zarbon's attack? He could hear Bulma screaming as he fell to the ground.

Bulma pulled the trigger on her gun multiple times. Each went through Zarbon but did nothing to him. He looked down at the Vegeta and gave a small chuckled before rounding on Bulma. Bulma pulled the trigger again and again. Still, nothing happened. Then she noticed it. Zarbon's aura disappeared. She backed up as he approached her. He had not yet noticed it.

"Frieza's been looking for you, little witch. Why is it that you're never where you're supposed to be?" Zarbon asked. He reached out and took hold of Bulma's arm. Just as he did so, Vegeta pulled him back and knocked him to the ground. The mask broke and fell away from his face. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Vegeta spat blood to the floor. He was bleeding profusely from a wound on his right side. He held it gingerly, trying to quell some of the bleeding. "I like to think I'm built tough. It will take far more than a measly sneak attack to do away with me," he said. Vegeta stalked over to him and kicked him in the face, breaking his nose once again and knocking him out. "That was easier than it should have been," he mumbled.

Bulma rushed over to him. "I think I picked up a suppressor." She held up her weapon. "I must've shot him twenty times with it," she said. "Vegeta, you're hurt."

He shrugged off her help. "I should kill this bastard."

"Then do it or I will," Bulma said. She glanced down at Zarbon, searching for his heartbeat.

"No. His life belongs to Kinomi." Vegeta went into a coughing fit. Bulma saw he was hacking up more and more blood. He collapsed into her. "Pod..." he whispered.

Bulma helped drag Vegeta to the pod. With her sore hands, the process probably took longer than it should have. She tied his cape around his wound, helping to stop the bleeding. Then she practically pushed him down into the pod. A violent quake shook the hangar. The building itself was starting to come apart. Bulma dodged falling debris and saw that the control panel had been destroyed. There was no way of programming her own pod. Taking a deep breath, she climbed into Vegeta's pod. He was already hooked up to the life support system.

"Woman, what are you..."

"There's no time. This place is falling apart." Bulma pressed a few buttons to close the pod. Despite the small area, she and Vegeta fit in the pod remarkably well. "Here we go," she whispered as the door started to close.

She could not believe it. She was escaping again. But this time, she was not alone.


	13. Survive

The hangar was silent as the door to Juu's stolen ship opened. There were several rebels standing around, waiting to help the women out of the smaller ship. Juu's ladies stepped out first, glaring menacingly at the rebels. The women looked a far cry from their courtesan disguises. They wore black unitards with knee-high boots. Juu wore a long hooded white cloak to separate her from the group. The soldiers on the ship parted when they realized it was her.

"Where is he?" Juu asked to no one in particular.

A soldier, dressed in a similar fashion to the ladies except his uniform was gray, stepped out from the group. "He is in the control room, ma'am," he said. Juu nodded and stalked past him. Her ladies followed closely behind.

Yamcha was standing in front of a large screen. He was replaying his triumphant attack on Frieza Planet 1. The planet had exploded shortly after his departure. Though there were many casualties, he thought the attack was quite successful.  _I would prefer there not to be so many losses, but such is the consequences of war_ , he mused. He heard the door open and the group of footsteps that followed it. Smirking, he already knew who it was. When he turned to greet the newcomers, a slap to his face was all that was to be had.

"Damnit, Juu! What the hell was that for?" Yamcha held his aching face. He looked around the room. A few of his comrades had quickly averted their eyes. Somewhat embarrassed, Yamcha drew himself up to his full height. He was much taller than Juu was, but her presence was far more intimidating. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Just who the fuck do you think you are?  _MONTHS_  of planning have gone down the drain! We may have lost one of our most powerful allies because of your glory-hunting! Do you think for one minute that Frieza will let this go unpunished? He  _WILL_  find you and he will  _KILL_  you! You are a fool if you believe otherwise!" Juu absolutely laid into him.

"I did more in two hours than you and this secret  _ally_  of yours have done in the last year! I think a little gratitude is in order! And besides, Frieza is most likely dead. There was no way he could've made it off the planet in time," Yamcha countered.

Juu rolled her eyes and backhanded Yamcha this time. "You idiot! Frieza can breathe in any atmosphere, including  _NO ATMOSPHERE_! His species can survive out in space without the need for air. A trivial thing such as an exploding planet won't kill him! Where were you when all of this was discussed?" She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh yes. You were out at some bar on Hydra Nine, drinking it up with some floozy. Frieza already had his suspicions about the rebellion. You have all but proven his hunches correct."

Yamcha cleared his throat. He had no idea about Frieza's ability to survive in space. This changed the entire dynamic of his plan completely. "So what now?"

"We head outside of the PTO jurisdiction and we do it quickly. I've already told everyone else. We have to regroup and try and find our missing ally." Juu turned and motioned for her ladies to follow her out of the room. "For your sake, they had better be alive."

* * *

"I bet when you woke up this morning you didn't think by lunchtime that your planet would be destroyed and your right hand would be in a healing tank again," Cooler said with a snicker.

Frieza glared at his older brother out of the corner of his eye. Only one of his flagships had managed to make it off the planet. He was short-staffed. The Ginyu Force, Dodoria, and Zarbon had managed to make it off the planet as well, but Zarbon had been found severely injured again.  _He's becoming a liability more and more. I wonder who defeated him this time_ , he thought angrily.

Cooler noticed Frieza squeezing the side of his floating chair. It was starting to crack under the pressure of his vice grip. "You should calm down, brother. The next course of action will need to be thought through carefully. We lost a good bit of business back there. It's a shame more of those dignitaries could not make it off the planet before the explosion."

"A shame, indeed. I do wonder where my little monkeys are, though," Frieza said, relaxing his grip on his seat.

"You don't believe that they died on the planet?"

"Of course not. Dodoria tells me that several pods were missing and one remained unused. It would also explain Zarbon's injuries," the overlord replied. "I told you that the propensity for Saiyans to survive is great."

"What about your little witch?"

 _Bulma_ , Frieza thought with a frown. No trace of the girl had been found. He had his suspicions that the rebellious teenager was connected to Zarbon's attack somehow.  _Perhaps she is still with her guardian_...

"You think the Saiyans made off with her?"

Frieza looked over at his brother. "Maybe. The little one had grown somewhat attached to her. It stands to reason that she would make sure Bulma got away. But where? Those pods were untraceable. I cannot even reach the scouters that the Saiyans had."

"All the more reason to believe they are dead."

"No." Frieza shook his head. "But it does give reason to believe that they are partially responsible for this mishap."

* * *

There was a beeping noise in the back of Bulma's mind. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt entirely too heavy. The rest of her body was stiff and she felt cramped. The beeping got louder and with it came a voice. Bulma could not make out what the voice was saying yet, but it sounded quite robotic. Again, she tried to force her eyes open. Slowly, light began to pour through the slits of her eyes. Everything was blurry. She tried to stretch again, but her limbs felt like dead weight. The robotic voice became a bit clearer.

" _Approaching Dokkyo. Prepare for landing. Approaching Dokkyo. Prepare for landing. Approaching_..." The voice kept repeating the mantra.

 _Dokkyo? Why would I be approaching a planet so far away_? Bulma groaned as she managed to open her eyes. The blurriness prevented her from seeing her surroundings clearly. After a few blinks, it became clear to her why she was heading towards a planet.  _I'm still in a pod_?

The induced sleep had left Bulma very disoriented. She tried to right herself in the small pod but her quarters were even smaller because of something hard she was sitting on. She tried to turn her head to see what she was on. She gasped when she realized who it was. "Vegeta," she whispered. Unlike her, he had not awakened. A mask covered his face, helping him to breathe. Bulma remembered his injuries and tried to see them. The cape she had tied around him had been soaked, but the blood appeared to have dried on it. With a quick check of his vitals, she found out he was severely dehydrated, which she could tell by his usually olive skin being so pale.

" _Now entering Dokkyo atmosphere_ ," the robotic voice said a mere second before the pod hit the outer atmosphere.

Bulma braced herself, grabbing onto the handles by the pod's door for support. The pod began to shake violently and the temperature rose slightly. Bulma squinted her eyes as flames engulfed the pod, blinding her sight out of the window. Once the pod passed the thin layer of clouds, the temperature began to cool and the ground became clearer and closer. Bulma squeezed her eyes shut as the pod made impact with the ground.

" _Landing complete. Welcome to Dokkyo_ ," the voice said.

The telepath opened her eyes slowly. She peered out of the window. After seeing that they were not under any water or surrounded by lava, she reached for an orange button near the door. Curiously, she found it harder to do than normal. "Dokkyo statistics," she said as she finally pressed the button.

" _Dokkyo is located in the Remus System and is outside of the Cold Empire and is not subject to the Planet Trade Organization's jurisdiction. The planet is mostly wilderness, containing both forests and mountainous regions. There is no sentient life, only wild animals. Despite its small mass, the planet's gravity is five times that of Frieza Planet One. The planet's moons are_..."

"Air compatibility?" Bulma cut off the computer.

" _Air is compatible with Frieza Planet One_ ," came the answer.

"Water source?"

" _Source of fresh water nearby_."

"Food?"

" _Various plant and animal life in surrounding area_."

Bulma relaxed a bit in the seat. She knew they could not stay in the pod for long. Vegeta needed medical attention and they needed to make a camp of some sort. She began searching around the pod. Beneath the seat was a small drawer. Opening it, Bulma found a box filled with capsules. Smiling, she reached for the red button beside the door. The door unlocked and opened a bit. Bulma frowned. The door was stuck. Using her legs, she began pushing it out and open. Once the door was open, she climbed out to inspect her surroundings. It took more effort because of the planet's higher gravity, but she managed to do it and pull herself up to a standing position.

As she figured, she stood in the crater made by the pod's landing. Gazing up, she could see the sky was purple directly above. Lowering her head, Bulma tried to move around more freely. She felt like she weighed twice as much as usual.  _Actually, I weigh five times as much as usual. I guess weight is relative depending on the planet you're on_ , she thought. Sighing, she set about the task of climbing to the top of the crater.

Once there, she saw they were surrounded by forest. The forest was thick and trees were close together. They were taller and thicker than any trees Bulma had come in contact with. There were several down trees from the landing. She assumed she had scared off any dangerous animals for the time being. Bulma walked into the brush. Besides the trees, there were many bushes. Some were thorny while others contained fruits and berries. Deciding it was best to wait to see if they were edible, Bulma continued on. The sound of rushing water could be heard nearby.

She came to a river after walking for another five minutes. The water was moving quickly. What struck Bulma as odd was that the water was tinted purple, much like the sky. She went towards it and cupped her hands. Aside from the color, the water appeared no different than any other water she'd had. Tentatively, Bulma drank from her hands. "Tastes like water. Hopefully I don't die of poisoning," she said morbidly. Standing once again, Bulma dug in her pocket for the capsule bag. She searched through it until finding the one she needed. Taking it out, she pressed the button and tossed it to a large clearing beside the river.

* * *

Vegeta's eyes opened. He was thirsty and he felt heavy. Reaching up, he pulled the mask off his face and inhaled deeply. It hurt, but he needed to get something besides the stale, recycled air of the gas into his lungs. He tried to lick his chapped lips, but it did not work. His mouth was dry and his throat was scratchy. It dawned on him that he was no longer in space. The woman was also missing.

Footsteps and sliding was heard. Vegeta got ready to defend himself and raised a hand. The ki attack that formed was pathetic even given his weakened state. He heard the footsteps quicken and get closer. He steadied himself, struggling not to lose consciousness again. When Bulma's face came into view he sighed and lowered his arm.

Bulma kneeled down to look at Vegeta. "You're awake!" she said louder than she intended to. Vegeta just glared at her lazily. "Come on. Let's get you out of here. You're going to have to help me because this planet's gravity is greater than Planet One's." She reached in and started unbuckling him from the seat.

Vegeta let her do as she pleased. When she reached out to help pull him out, he smacked her hands away. He could see her frown but chose to ignore it. Instead, she sat back and waited for him to lift himself out. Vegeta tried, but his body felt so weak. The injury to his side was probably more serious than he initially thought. Bulma watched him struggle to stand. When he finally got to his feet, he tried to pull himself up to his full height. He immediately buckled. Bulma reached forward and held him up.

"Woman, I'm fine." Vegeta tried in vain to get her to release him. He was becoming dizzier by the second.

"Shut up, Vegeta. You won't make it five steps without collapsing. You're dehydrated and that wound is probably infected by now. I think we were traveling for ten days and you've had no medical help yet. Just let me help, please," Bulma said, her voice quiet. She felt him relax a bit and smiled. "Come on. You're heavier than usual so I'm gonna need a little help here."

* * *

Chichi and Kakarrot roamed through a marketplace on the very populated planet of Komu. It was one of the most populous planets and also one of the largest. Though it was still inside Frieza's empire, it would be hard to track the Saiyans there. Chichi and Kakarrot had first landed on a smaller, less knowledgeable planet near Komu. They stowed away on a cargo ship to come to Komu and  _blend in_.

The two Saiyans found a place to eat and settled in at the back of the overcrowded restaurant. Kakarrot looked over his plate that was piled high with food. "Do you think the others are okay? It's been ten days since we've heard from anyone. I'm a little worried," he said.

"I'm sure they're all fine." Chichi's plate was also filled to the brim, but not nearly as high as Kakarrot's. "We just have to bide our time. If we're seen together as a group then that'll only draw attention to us. We have to find a way to get in touch with Juu or Vegeta. Then we have to get out of the jurisdiction. I don't think Frieza knows we're still alive, but he is going to be searching for Bulma."

Kakarrot slurped noodles into his mouth. "That reminds me. Where do you think Bulma was sent?"

Chichi picked up a questionable piece of food from her plate. In the dim light of the restaurant, whatever it was seemed to still be alive. Without warning, Kakarrot took it from her and stuffed it in his mouth. "Kakarrot!"

"You know you didn't want it. Besides, you wouldn't even like it," he said with a smile. Chichi frowned and went back to her food. "Now what about Bulma?"

"She's probably with Vegeta. Then again, none of us saw those two even make it off the planet. Who knows what happened to them? All we can hope for is that they're safe. Right now, I'm more concerned about the others being caught; especially the twins," Chichi said quietly.

* * *

Nappa tossed the dead carcass of a wild beast on the ground in front of Raditz and Turles. Both were already gathered around a fire with their own beasts. Nappa sat down on a log and began methodically skinning the beast. "Just our luck that we crash on an abandoned planet," he griped.

Turles smirked as he bit into the slightly charred flesh of his kill. "Are we even sure someone will come by this planet? It seems pretty far out of the way."

"The computer said it's still within Frieza's territory.  _Kougen_ , it's called. It was purged years ago and never was sold. I'm sure they've forgotten it was even out here," Raditz answered. "I'm more concerned about the twins."

"Please. You're concerned about Kinomi," Turles said. He laughed at Raditz's appalled face. "Don't deny it. You'd have to be blind not to see how you look at that girl. I wonder if Vegeta has caught on yet."

"Seeing how Raditz is still in one piece, I'd say Vegeta doesn't know yet," Nappa said absentmindedly. He quickly cooked his meal with a small blast of ki. He ripped a chunk of the meat off and took a bite. A bit of blood ran down his chin. "A bit overcooked," he mumbled.

Turles raised an eyebrow. " _Overcooked_? Nappa, I don't think it's cooked at all."

Thankful for the distraction, Raditz pulled out another chunk of his own meat. The last thing he wanted to discuss with his younger brother or Nappa was his relationship with Kinomi. He'd secretly been hoping that he would get paired with her. That way he could ensure that she stayed safe. He had faith that Tarble would do everything in his power to keep his sister safe until she regained her power, but that knowledge still did not satisfy him in the least.

"So what now?" Turles was picking his teeth with a broken bone. "Do we just hide out here?"

"We've got no choice." Nappa ripped another chunk of meat off. "Until we hear from someone else, we're supposed to lay low. So that is exactly what we'll do. We'll lay low and train. You two could stand to get stronger."

Raditz and Turles grunted their responses. Turles glanced upward toward the sky. He could see the planet's moon in its waning crescent phase. It would be a while before it would be full again. He hoped he was still on the planet for that.  _I haven't stretched my legs in quite a while. It will be good to train like that_.

* * *

Tarble did not expect his sister to still be so weak once she woke up. He had remembered what Juu said about the sugar. Kinomi had already eaten three of the large cubes. However, her strength had yet to return.  _Perhaps she needs more_ , he thought. He looked down at the bag. There were quite a few cubes left. Then he looked over at Kinomi. The princess was sound asleep on a cot in their modest 1 bedroom capsule house.  _Maybe I should look this up_. The youngest prince headed back to his pod. Inside, he turned the computer on.

"Ki depletion and restoration," he said firmly.

" _Ki depletion can be either natural or induced. If the depletion occurs naturally, there is no way to regain that power. Induced ki depletion is a limiting of the ki. The ki will return but requires a catalyst. Ki restoration can be accomplished in three methods. The first method is a ki transfer from a compatible source. A compatible source is a being of similar size and species; a blood relative being the best choice. The second method is an adrenaline injection. This method is the most deadly and can harm the ki-less more than help. Too much adrenaline can cause chemical imbalances and lead to death. The final method is high sugar intake, preferably with a disaccharide. Sugar provides energy but nothing else to the ki-less. The amount of sugar needed to be consumed varies by species, race, gender, and size. Once ki is restored, it can take up to sixty galactic days for ki to reach former levels_."

Tarble sighed and looked back at the bag of sugar. Kinomi would likely need to consume the entire bag of sugar. "Or I could do a ki transfer." He looked down at his hands. He'd never performed a ki transfer before, nor was he entirely sure how one would go about accomplishing the feat. "I'm her size and we're of the same blood. I suppose all I have to do is channel my ki to her." He got out of the pod and glanced around.

They had landed on a small planet called Souseiji. It was one of the few planets within Frieza's territory that had not yet been terrorized by the tyrant. The people there were accommodating of the young Saiyans even though their reputations preceded them. Their leader had explained that their arms were always welcome to the weary traveler. Plus, they had sensed no danger from the twins. They were small people; even smaller than the twins. They did not appear strong but they were well-versed in mana manipulation.

Kinomi was still asleep when Tarble returned. He walked quietly across the room and kneeled down beside her. Kinomi stirred but did not wake. Taking a deep breath, Tarble placed his hands over her sternum. She took a deep breath but still did not wake. Focusing, Tarble began to gather his ki. He pressed on Kinomi's chest a bit. He saw the light under his hands and Kinomi's chest glowing.

Suddenly, she sat up and started coughing violently. Tarble fell back on the ground and watched as Kinomi fought to catch her breath. She reached blindly for the sugar cubes. Tarble passed her two large cubes. Kinomi grabbed them and shoved them in her mouth. After a moment, her breathing slowed and she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"You okay?" Tarble asked from his place on the floor.

Kinomi looked at her brother. "I'm okay. Thanks."

* * *

Vegeta was sitting in the tub in the bathroom of the capsule house. The house was not big, but it did have two small bedrooms, a living area, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Among the capsules Bulma found were some spare clothes, medical supplies, weapons, and a portable gravity simulator. Bulma was wielding cloth and some antiseptic. Vegeta was leaning against the back of the tub. Sighing, Bulma wet the towel with the antiseptic.

"This might sting a little," she said. Vegeta grunted and did not move. When Bulma placed the antiseptic on him, he made a fist with his left hand but said nothing. Sighing, Bulma continued cleaning his wound.

Vegeta turned his head to see her working. It was the first time he really took notice of her wrapped hands. He stopped her from cleaning him and grabbed hold of her left wrist. Startled, Bulma dropped the towel. Vegeta looked as though he was about to pass out, but his interest was square on her hands. "How did this happen again, woman?"

Bulma watched as he began slowly unwrapping her hand. When the dirty gauze was gone, he examined the cuts and burns. Bulma fought the urge to wince. She had almost forgotten about her hands. The pain had been numbed by the since of urgency and the need to survive. Now that Vegeta had exposed them, the pain was coming to the forefront of her mind again. "I had a run-in with some rebels back on Planet One. You saw that I won that fight," she said.

"I see. You should be more concerned with your own wounds," he said. He made to stand up. Bulma stood as well and stepped back as he got out of the tub.

"Vegeta, you really shouldn't be moving so much. You're still dehydrated and you lost a lot of blood. Look how pale you are." Bulma motioned towards the bathroom's mirror. Vegeta did not spare himself a glance and waved his hand in the air. "Vegeta..."

"I'll be fine, woman. You should..."

Bulma's eyes widened as Vegeta went down. He banged his head against the countertop as he passed out. "Vegeta!" she yelled as she fell to his side. She shook him, but he did not wake. Bulma rolled him over and checked his pulse. He was still alive, but he had acquired a gash on his head. Bulma's lip trembled. "Vegeta? Vegeta, wake up!" she said loudly. He did not wake but he did moan.

 _Shit! Why can't he just listen to what I say? Stubborn ass_! Bulma stood up and went in search of some gauze, a needle, and thread. When she returned, blood had ran down the side of Vegeta's head. She began cleaning him up once again. After giving him stitches and wrapping both his head and his side, she stared down at him.  _Now I've got to get you to bed_. While she had adjusted to the gravity, dragging a muscle bound Saiyan across the floor was a different animal altogether. She managed to hook her arms under his arms and pull him out of the bathroom. She pulled him into one of the bedrooms across the hallway. She paused a moment and looked at the height of the bed and where Vegeta leaned against her legs. Sighing, she continued her task.

She stared down at Vegeta's prone form in the muted light of the room. He was still fully dressed with the exception of his shirt. Bulma pulled his gloves and boots off. "I've got to get you some water," she said. Turning around, she left the room. In the kitchen she found a large jug. Picking it up, she glanced back towards Vegeta's room before walking out of the house.

It was getting dark outside. With it came the sounds of the night. Bulma paused a moment near the doorway of the house and glanced around. The river was about 500 feet from her but it still seemed like a long way due to the fading light. She took a few steps, listening for anything suspicious. Seeing and hearing nothing, she walked quickly to the river and stuck the jug in the water. As it filled, Bulma continued to scout the area around her. She felt as though she was being watched.

 _There are no minds to read out here. I could be attacked by anything and never see it coming_ , she thought. She glanced down at the jug and saw it was full. Lugging it up, she walked as quickly as the extra weight of the water would allow her. Once she was inside, she closed the door and locked it. She hauled the jug of water to the kitchen and sat it on a counter. Then she opened some of the cabinets, searching for cups or glassware. There were four glasses in one of the cabinets. Bulma grabbed one and poured some of the fresh water into it.

* * *

Vegeta was coming around. His head was killing him. He reached up with his left hand and touched where he felt the pain gingerly. There was gauze wrapped around his head. The last thing he remembered was looking at Bulma's hands. She was hurt. How did she get hurt? Something about rebels...

"Glad to see you awake," Bulma said as she turned the light on in the room. Vegeta frowned and shielded his eyes with his hand. Bulma used the dimmer switch to lessen the brightness and then moved forward to the bed. Vegeta attempted to get up but Bulma placed a hand on his chest. She helped pull him into a sitting position. "Don't get up. Just drink this and drink it slowly. Too much too fast and you'll vomit. Are you hungry?"

"Woman, you don't have to take care of me. I'm not an invalid," he complained.

Bulma crossed her arms and sat on the bed next to him. "Says the man with stitches in both his side and his head. You'd be bleeding out, still unconscious on the floor if I hadn't been around. Not to mention you probably wouldn't have made it out of the pod alone. You needed me," she said with a pout.

The prince glared at her over the rim of the glass. "You're insufferable, woman." He glanced towards the small window on the far wall. "Where are we?"

"A planet called Dokkyo. The computer in the pod said it was uninhabited with the exception of wildlife and it's outside Frieza's domain. I think our landing might've scared some of the animals away but it sounded like they were returning." She noticed Vegeta was still staring out the window. "Is something wrong, Vegeta?"

Vegeta was staring at the unusually bright light coming from the window. He could see that it was dark out, but the purplish light intrigued him. "Woman, does the planet have a moon?" he asked without looking back at her.

"A moon? Yes. I think it has two. They appear to be very close to the planet. They're huge when you look outside. At the moment neither are full but I doubt they need to be in order to give off that much light. I think this planet is also close to its star. I don't think night will be very long," she said. She peered over at Vegeta once again. "Why?"

 _Two moons that are closer to the planet than usual... Ideal for training_ , Vegeta thought. He glanced over at Bulma again.  _But she's here_.

"No reason. What else did you learn about this planet?"

Bulma smiled. "Well..."

* * *

A few hours later, Bulma searched the pack of capsules. There was not one capsule labeled " **FOOD**." The house also did not come stocked with food. Sighing, Bulma opened the weapons capsule. There was only one way she was going to get food.  _I have to hunt_ , she thought with a shudder. She had no idea what to do in order to accomplish that. However, Vegeta had not healed enough to move around too much. It was completely up to Bulma to make sure they survived. She picked up a ray gun and checked it. She turned the setting down in order not to incinerate her kill. Then she placed knife in her pocket.

The moment Bulma stepped outdoors, she came face to face with what appeared to be some sort of wildebeest. It regarded Bulma silently before walking casually over to the river. "Well aren't you audacious..." she whispered. She raised the gun slowly and took aim. As the unsuspecting animal drank from the river, Bulma suddenly felt bad. Squeezing her eyes shut, she fired two shots.

A thud was heard and Bulma opened her eyes. The beast was on the ground. Bulma had blown a portion of its head off. Gulping, Bulma began to make her way over to the animal. Just as she did, another rustle was heard in the brush behind her. She whirled around, pointing her gun once again.

It was two more of the beasts; one appeared to be a female version while the other was a smaller version of the beast Bulma had just killed. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, knowing she had just killed part of their family.  _I have to survive out here. I can't let us starve_ , she tried to rationalize. She quickly raised the gun and fired another two shots.

* * *

Vegeta's eyes snapped open as he heard what sounded like sniffling. He pulled himself up to a sitting position. The world spun for a moment and he gathered himself. Then he got up out of the bed. He started to head towards the sound. The sniffling was coming from somewhere outside the house. When Vegeta passed the kitchen, he could smell blood. There were small droplets of it that led to the refrigerator and freezer. He continued his trek to the front door of the house and opened the door.

Bulma was in the river, submersed and furiously scrubbing herself. She was also attempting to wash her clothes. It looked as though she was fighting back tears while trying to stay upright in the rushing water of the river as well. It was then that Vegeta saw the smeared blood on her skin.

"Woman, what the hell are you doing?" he asked as he approached the river.

"What are you doing out of bed, Vegeta? You're not supposed to be moving around. You'll open your wounds again," she said quickly. She wiped the water from her face. "This blood isn't coming out," she mumbled.

Vegeta took a seat on a rock as he watched her. "Blood doesn't wash out, woman. As many as you've killed you should know that by now."

Bulma paused for a moment. "I've never felt bad about killing anyone. But I've only killed to protect myself; it was never out of spite or just because I had the power. I'd never killed someone innocent."

"And you think those beasts you killed were innocent?" Vegeta watched her slowly nod. "Let me tell you something, woman. Listen and listen well. You need to survive this wilderness. Everything must be earned. In order to do that, you cannot curl up and cry every time you kill something you deem  _innocent_. Given the chance, do you think the beasts would've allowed you to live? At the root of everything is our natural survival instinct and we will do that by any means necessary."

She nodded as she waded out of the water. A dry pair of clothes waited for her on a rock next to Vegeta. "When you heal, you're going to do the hunting," she said as she dressed.

Vegeta smirked, avoiding watching her get dressed. She no longer seemed shy around him. It did not make him feel any more comfortable, though. He glanced up at the sky. The moons were indeed huge and he could see them through the translucent purplish clouds. "Hunting is something I definitely excel at. Besides, the meat will taste much better without that artificial ki running through it. A quick, clean kill is the best to let the meat remain unsullied."

"Wow. I never would have guessed that." Bulma put her boots back on. "Stay humble, Vegeta. Come on. I'll make you something to eat."

* * *

"That's the sixth planet in the last two weeks. Destroying planets is an amazing sight, but it does not reflect well on your image, brother. Is it necessary that you find the girl? Who says she's even still alive?" Cooler asked as Frieza walked back into the observation deck of his ship.

Frieza spared his brother an exasperated glance before getting into his floating chair. "Zarbon told me she made off with Vegeta. I will comb the outskirts of my empire until I find both of them. Then I will do things to them that will ensure they never run away again," he said.

"They didn't exactly run away, did they? They escaped a dying planet just like we did. Perhaps they are stuck on a planet."

"Then why was Zarbon knocked unconscious if that's all that happened? Those two are up to something and I'm going to make damn sure I find out what. Dodoria!" Frieza yelled for his lackey.

The spiky pink blob made his way over to Frieza, huffing from the exertion. "Yes, my lord?"

"Set a course for Planet Twelve. We will rest there. Send for Ginyu as well. I would like a word with him" he said. Dodoria nodded and quickly left the room. Frieza glared back over at his brother. "Why are you following me about, anyway? Don't you have your own part of the empire to run?"

Cooler chuckled softly. "And miss this meltdown you're having about a monkey and a witch? By the gods, I wouldn't miss this for every planet under the Cold Empire. But what you say is true. I must be getting back to my own affairs. I meant to tell you of my departure earlier, but it slipped my mind." He gave his younger brother a cool smile. The younger of the two simply sighed.

Captain Ginyu sauntered in and immediately kneeled before Frieza. "You sent for me, my lord?" He looked up to see Frieza motioning for him to rise.

"I have a mission for you and your squad. It is a search and retrieve. I need you to find Vegeta for me. Wherever he is Bulma is sure to be."

"Of course, sir. Do you have a specific place you would like us to start the search?" Ginyu asked.

Frieza thought for a moment in silence. He made a triangle with his hands before smirking evilly. "You can start with the Romulus system," he said. Both Ginyu and Cooler appeared confused for a moment. "I am aware that the Romulus system is beyond my borders. However, as long as you don't destroy or purge the planets, you are breaking no laws. Simply search them out and bring them to me."

"Alive, sir?"

"I don't care what condition Vegeta is brought back in as long as he's alive and all limbs are accounted for. As for Bulma, there better not be one hair out of place on her. I want the honor of punishing her myself. Am I clear?"

Ginyu nodded and bowed once more. "Crystal, my lord."

"Good. Now get out of my sight."

* * *

Bulma sat on the edge of a cliff. A small radio sat beside her. She bit into a large yellow and black fruit. The pulp inside the fruit was a deep red and the juice was sticky and sweet. She had no idea what the fruit was called, but it was the one of the only fruits that grew near the camp. This was the first time she'd tried it. Three days ago, she'd found her way out of the forest to a cliff that overlooked a great desert. The view was magnificent as the planet's sun set and the large moons became clearer. They were full now.

If her situation was different, Bulma would not mind staying on the planet forever. She could be at peace in such solitude and freedom. The only thing she did not like was the hunting aspect. Through trial and error, she'd found other things to eat such as plant life and things that dwelt in the river. She collected the smaller food while Vegeta hunted anything big enough to feed his appetite.

The radio beside Bulma made a small noise. She turned it up, listening closely to the static to see if she could make out anything. As usual, there was nothing. Were they really so far out of the way that nothing could reach them? If she remembered from her studies as a child, the Remus System was far enough outside of the Cold Empire for them to completely bypass it. Though she knew that, Bulma kept hoping that she would hear something from anyone. She wondered how the other Saiyans were doing. If she had counted right, they'd all been separated for nearly a month in galactic time.

At the thought of the other Saiyans, Bulma remembered that she was currently living with one. Vegeta had been rather cordial most of the time; or as  _cordial_  as it gets for him. However, a few days ago there was a dramatic shift in his personality. He'd become irritable and he avoided her like she carried some sort of disease. Every time she inquired as to what his problem was, he would shrug her off and tell her she was imagining things. He still did everything as usual, but he had become so distant. The tension was already high and his attitude was not helping in the least.

"Stupid jerk," she thought out loud. "It's not like I need to talk to him anyway. All he does is sleep, eat, and train in that godforsaken gravity chamber with hunting thrown in there occasionally. I wonder if he even showers. He always smells so..." Bulma drifted off. Frowning, she took another large bite of the new fruit she that was quickly becoming her favorite. She got to her feet, picked up the radio, and began the walk back to the camp.

Vegeta was sitting in his room, cleaning his boots when Bulma walked past. She stood in the doorway for a moment, waiting for him to acknowledge her. He gave her one glance and then went back to his shoes. Sighing, she stalked off down the hallway. Bulma slammed the door to her own room and threw herself down on her bed.  _What an asshole! He can't even give me a decent greeting_! She tossed the half-eaten fruit to the other side of the room and curled up into a fetal position. Perhaps she would feel better in the morning...

* * *

The morning had not yet come when Bulma woke up. She could hear something in the hallway. It was quiet, but it sounded like heavy breathing. Bulma quietly reached for the gun on the nightstand as she rose from the bed. Pressing a button to load it, she headed towards her door and slowly and carefully opened it without making too much noise. She squeezed the gun in her hand and pointed it towards the sound before stepping out of the room quickly. In the darkness, she could make out Vegeta's figure. He was sitting against the bathroom door with his knees up and his head hanging down.

Sighing, Bulma dropped her stance and sat the gun down. "Damnit, Vegeta. I could've shot you," she said as she made her way towards him. He did not respond. For a moment, Bulma thought he was sleep. He grunted and she knew he was paying attention to her. "Why are you not in the bed? It's in the middle of the night."

Vegeta shook his head. "Too bright in the room," he mumbled quietly.

Bulma raised a blue eyebrow and peeked inside his room. Vegeta's room was not very bright, but during the night the moonlight had moved over to his bed. She figured it was like having the sun on your face. She moved back over to him and sat down. "My room doesn't have the moonlight shining through it. Do you want to switch for the night?" she asked.

Vegeta looked over at her. In the darkness he could see her smiling at him. He shrugged his shoulders and she stood again. Vegeta followed suit. He watched her pat his arm and start to step around him. Vegeta squeezed his eyes shut. As Bulma passed him, he grabbed her arm. He heard her gasp as he trapped her between him and the wall.

"If you wanted my attention, all you had to do is ask, Vegeta," Bulma said breathlessly. He had knocked the wind out of her. "Something the matter?"

The prince stared at her lips for a moment. Then he leaned in closer and put his head in the crevasse between her shoulder and neck. "Do you want to know why I've been avoiding you, woman?" he asked huskily.

Bulma stood still as she listened to him. His behavior was strange, but she would be lying if she said she did not enjoy his proximity to her. They had not been this close since they were on Frieza Planet 1 and he kissed her. She decided to play it cool. "Only if you really want to tell me," she whispered.

"Remember when I told you about a Saiyan's  _ultimate_ form?" He waited a moment as she nodded. She smelled of that fruit she had been eating earlier. Mixed with her natural scent, it was almost intoxicating. "Any moon is what triggers that transformation in us. All we need is to look at the full moon and we transform. Even if we don't, the moonlight still affects us."

"How?" Bulma had a feeling she already knew, but she still wanted to hear him say it.

"We get... urges." Vegeta pulled back to look at her. "I've been trying hard not to give in to those urges. You and your putrid scent are not making it easy at all," he admitted.

Bulma frowned. " _Putrid_? I do not stink, Vegeta. If anything, it's you who smells like..." Vegeta once again silenced Bulma by simply kissing her. This kiss was also aggressive, but there was nothing sensual about it. There was need behind it as well. Bulma almost instantly submitted to her desire and kissed back just as ferociously as he was kissing her. A small yelp escaped her as he bit into her lip. Before the pain fully registered, Vegeta was soothing the small bite with his tongue. He left her mouth and buried his head in her hair. "Vegeta?"

"Tell me to stop," Vegeta groaned.

Still dazed, Bulma closed her eyes as she felt his ragged breaths against her neck. "Why? Why would I do that?"

Vegeta took hold of her small waist and his tail wrapped itself around her right leg. "Because you are too fragile. I must stop but I won't if you don't..."

"I am not made of glass, Vegeta," Bulma whispered. Vegeta softly kissed the area between her neck and her jaw. "I will not break." She moaned has he dragged his somewhat sharp teeth along her neck. Although his little nips hurt, Bulma found them strangely pleasurable. It was unlike her to find pleasure in pain, but Vegeta drew the strongest and strangest feelings she'd ever known out of her.

Vegeta inhaled her scent again. "I should be able to control this. This disgusting stench is wreaking havoc on me."

"I think we both know that my  _stench_  is anything but  _disgusting_ , Vegeta. You weren't complaining about it back on Planet One." She inhaled sharply as Vegeta's hands squeezed her waist. His grip was tight. Even if she wanted to she could not get away from him. She slowly placed her hands on his chest and dug her nails into his taut skin. "Vegeta..."

"Tell me to stop, woman." He sounded strained; as if he was holding back a great deal. Bulma knew he was trying very hard to keep from forcing her. Since they were touching she could hear most of his thoughts and they were a jumbled, barely coherent mess. "Tell me, woman. Tell me to stop."

Bulma wrapped her arms around Vegeta's neck. "No." She pulled him closer. She craned her neck to get close to his ear. "Don't stop."


	14. Found

Being tossed on Vegeta's bed like a ragdoll took the air out of Bulma's lungs as her back hit it. When Vegeta did not immediately appear over her, she sat up on her elbows. She was in the light and it was hard to see past it. "Vegeta?" she called quietly.

Vegeta was watching Bulma from the far side of the room. He knew her eyesight was not as keen as his and she would not be able to see him until her eyes adjusted. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. His tail twitched behind him in a nervous fashion. He was hesitant.  _What the hell am I doing? I can't do this_ , he thought as he inhaled slowly. Frowning, he tore his shirt off.  _Her scent is all over me_. Vegeta looked back over at Bulma. She was on all fours, squinting.

"Vegeta? I know you're still in here. You're not trying to scare me are..." Bulma stopped when Vegeta was suddenly in her face. She sat still, frozen in place by the way he was looking at her.  _Primal_  did not even begin to describe it. Bulma did not know whether to be afraid or turned on by it. Somehow she was both. "Were you hiding from me?" she asked.

Vegeta pushed her down on her back and hovered over her. "Why would I be hiding from such a weak woman like you? You are of no threat to me. I should be the one hunting you," he said while leaning down to her face.

Frowning, Bulma met his challenge. "I am no threat as long as we're not touching, _prince_." She started to move her hands to his shoulders. Vegeta immediately grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. The action happened faster than Bulma could see and or even register in her mind. "Vegeta..."

His right hand continued to hold her hands above her head while his left tore at her shirt. She had gotten used to being naked in front of him, but not with him so close to her. Having him touch her was different than having him glance at her from 10 feet away. Bulma shut her eyes and squirmed unconsciously. Vegeta trapped her between his legs to cease her movement completely.

"Look at me, woman," he said. Bulma slowly opened her eyes and inhaled sharply. He was so close to her. "Are you afraid?"

 _What a strange question_ , she thought.

"Strange or not, answer the damn question." He was at her neck again, dragging his teeth across her skin.

 _If you can hear me like this, you should be able to tell what my feelings are_.

"Say it."

Bulma flinched and squeezed her eyes shut again as he bit her earlobe. "No." He bit down hard on her shoulder and she was sure he had drawn blood. "No, I'm not afraid." She did not know why she repeated herself.

Vegeta moved back slightly and held himself just above her. Bulma opened her eyes and looked at him. There was something different about his expression. There was something different about all of him. His body seemed larger. His hair seemed longer. Even his thrashing tail seemed longer and thicker. What Bulma found the strangest was the sudden change in his eyes. Red was slowly creeping into his sclera and it was giving them a very feral glow. Bulma found herself wondering what other parts of his body had... enlarged.

"Vulgar woman," Vegeta mumbled.

Bulma's eyes widened.  _Damnit! I should've known he'd hear that! Keep your mind... Oh wow_...

"Have you ever done this before, woman?" Vegeta drew back slightly to look at her. "Don't answer that. I'll find out myself."

Bulma inhaled sharply as Vegeta pulled her down from the head of the bed. In a flash, she was on her stomach. This all seemed vaguely familiar to Bulma. She felt Vegeta's rough hands run up her thighs to the top of her pants. Once his fingers gripped the waist her eyes snapped open. Before even she knew what was happening, she was fighting.

Agile and quick as he was, Vegeta only managed to dodge the first two kicks from Bulma's legs. The third caught him in his stomach as she fought to turn over. He coughed, surprised at how powerful her strikes were. He caught her left foot as it came for his chin. Usually, such thrashing would've turned him on; Saiyans loved a good fight in any way and anywhere. But there was something about the way Bulma was fighting to get away from him that turned him all the way off. It was tough to fight his instinct, but Vegeta managed to release her and back off. Bulma scooted up to a sitting position against the headboard of the bed. She pulled her knees up to her chest.

She was shaking. The moonlight was on her face and Vegeta could see shining streaks running from her eyes. Her eyes were darting around frantically. He realized that he had retreated to the shadowed part of the bed. She could no longer see him clearly and was scared of being alone in that moment.  _What has gotten into her_?

"Bulma," Vegeta said sternly.

Bulma blinked a few times. The flashback that was playing out like a scene before her eyes melted away to reveal Vegeta's dark room. She could see his outline in the shadows. "Ve-Vegeta?" she croaked. She coughed lightly to clear her throat. Bulma began furiously wiping her cheeks. When had she started crying? She could not remember how the flashback started.

 _I turned over. Vegeta was behind me and_... Bulma covered her mouth and looked at him. She immediately scrambled off the bed and with speed that impressed Vegeta, she ran out of the room.

Vegeta listened as she slammed the door to the bathroom. He could hear the sounds of her wretching. He was obviously not going to satisfy his need tonight. Had he frightened her off? He'd never seen her look so terrified; not even while facing Frieza's punishment. Sighing, Vegeta glanced down at himself. He wasn't going to be able to get any sleep in his room tonight. He got off the bed, slipped on a pair of pants, and left the house.

Bulma heard the front door open and close. She was huddled in the far corner of the bathroom, hugging herself and shivering.  _Why did I do that? Why am I still seeing that? Why won't these memories leave me alone? Why_? She began clawing at her hair. She had not meant to scare Vegeta off.  _Shit! Shit! Shit!_  She leaned her head back and exhaled while closing her eyes.

The morning could not come fast enough for Bulma.

* * *

Juu tapped her finger on the armrest of the commander's chair in the control room of the large ship. All of Yamcha's men were below her, working steadily. While they wore gray, she was the only one wearing white. The door behind her opened and she rolled her eyes. "I still have no desire to speak with you, Yamcha," she said. She heard a sigh behind her and smirked inwardly. "You may go back to whatever whore you were with before you came in here."

"You always think I'm with a woman. Are you really still that bitter about our breakup?" Yamcha took a seat beside her. If he could not get her to speak about the mission, he would have to eventually steer the conversation in that direction. Juu slowly turned her head to face him. The expression she wore was one of silent rage.

"You think I'm  _bitter_  about the breakup? Yamcha,  _I_  left  _you_. Why the hell would I be  _bitter_  about ending a relationship on my own terms?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level and quiet.

Yamcha realized he was pushing the right buttons. He ran a hand through his sloppy black hair and smiled. "If you say so. But, I'd appreciate it if you didn't push me around in front of the men like that."

"Yamcha, you got men senselessly killed. I'll slap you whenever and wherever the fuck I want." Juu pressed a few buttons on the right armrest. A small, translucent screen popped up in front of her. After a moment, a silhouette appeared. "Good morning, _Black_ ," she said.

 _Black_  nodded shortly. "I see you made it off the planet safely." His voice was still significantly warped. Juu imagined she sounded the same way to him. "Did you meet up with him?"

"He's sitting next to me as we speak. His harebrained scheme killed some of our allies. Their armies might be reluctant to join with us, seeing how they will assume we are impulsive. Plus," Juu glared over at Yamcha, "killing off their leaders doesn't reflect well."

"Hey! You're acting like everything I did was wrong!" Yamcha yelled. Some of the men below them looked towards the two. "I still don't understand why you are so pissed about this. It's getting fucking old now."

 _Black_  cleared his throat. "What about _Blue_?"

" _Blue's_ whereabouts are unknown. I'd love to believe that all of them survived, but I am not sure."

"What about the wild card? Do you have a picture so that I may keep an eye out? You never know who you might cross in the cosmos."

Juu nodded and pressed a few buttons. A picture of Bulma staring up popped up on the screen. "She is also missing. I'm inclined to believe she may have gotten away as well. From what I hear, she's quite the escape artist and she had been making friends with _Blue_ and his kin. Frieza's main focus will definitely be on finding her before anything else."

"Have you heard?"  _Black_  asked suddenly. Juu shook her head. "Frieza has been systematically destroying planets on the far reaches of his portion of the galaxy. I assume he suspects that rebels and even his little princess made it out to the border planets to avoid detection. He does a thorough search of the planet and then destroys it for wasting his time. He is definitely on a mission to find this girl."

"Any suggestions?"

"Make it to a planet outside the empire. Tread carefully, as I hear he might be looking into scouts past his borders. He cannot destroy what is not under his jurisdiction according to PTO guidelines. However, he can perform searches as long as the planet's rulers give their permission. Even Frieza follows the rules he makes. "

Juu nodded. "I suppose you're correct. We will take refuge on a planet outside of his authority but one far enough to gain some time. Until then, _Black_."  _Black_  nodded as she cut the transmission. Juu glanced over at Yamcha. "Make yourself useful and find a planet close enough to us that has resources we can use."

Yamcha narrowed her eyes before rolling them. "Sure thing, boss." He rose from his seat and left Juu to her thoughts.

* * *

"This blows!"

Tarble stopped moving and looked down at his sister. She stood on the ground, doubled over and panting heavily. Sighing, Tarble lowered himself from the ground. He landed a small distance from her and crossed his arms. It had been three standard weeks since jumpstarting her ki and she could barely fly at half-speed an hour before tiring out. She barely made it past 30 minutes at full speed. She had made great progress considering where she started weeks before. However, the recovery process was not as fast as the hyperactive princess wanted it to be.

"Kinomi, you're expecting too much too soon. You can't force it. All you can do is make sure you stay in shape," Tarble said, approaching his sister.

"Don't you think I know that?" She stood up straight and glared at him. "But how can I train when I can't even last long enough through a simple kata or flying? I'm weaker than I was as a kid. As I said before,  **THIS BLOWS**!" Kinomi's voice went up several octaves and made Tarble flinch. Kinomi crossed her arms and began to stalk away.

Sighing, her twin brother ran after her and reached out for her. "Kinomi, it's a long way back. We flew quite far from the camp. Let me..." Tarble immediately recoiled when Kinomi turned and swung at him. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden jump in her ki. It was not full power, but it was significantly higher than her current maximum. As quickly as the surge appeared it was gone again. By Kinomi's expression, she had not even noticed it.

Kinomi ignored the shocked expression on her brother's face. She turned away from him in a huff. "I'll find my own way back!" she yelled. With that, she started running. Tarble shook his head and took to the sky.

The princess arrived back their capsule house late that night. Under the cloudless sky, she could see that Tarble had left a fire going. She walked up to it. There was half a carcass left over. It did not look to have been sitting there long. Kinomi walked right up to it, took a seat by the fire, and began eating. She'd been walking for hours and was starving.

 _Maybe I should've gone with Tarble. I'm exhausted_ , she thought blearily.

"I know how you feel."

Kinomi turned her head to the left. Tarble was standing in the doorway of the house. Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him and continued eating. "What do you know about it? You still have your ki. The only thing I still have is physical strength. Not exactly enough to get by with in our line of work," she said through a mouthful.

"I still have my ki. But I also know what it's like to feel like you have none." Tarble walked over to his sister and took a seat beside her. He tossed a piece of wood on the dying fire and sighed. Kinomi slowed her eating, waiting for him to continue. "I've always been weaker than everyone else. I'm almost no good in a real battle. I'll probably never be as strong as Vegeta, or even you. It took me a long time to come to terms with that. I really don't think I'm completely over it. Contrary to what you may think, I do love to fight. I just have no natural affinity for it like you."

"I've never thought about it like that. I just always assumed you hated fighting and took to your books and computers instead," Kinomi responded dryly. She heard Tarble chuckle a bit as she finished eating. "What's so funny?"

"I  _took to my books and computers_  because I wanted to be of use. If I can't do much physically, I could at least compensate for being the brains of this outfit. Without me you'd all go traipsing off into space with tracking devices still implanted in your skulls and scouters."

Kinomi's chewing slowed down. "Wait a minute... We had tracking devices in our skulls?"

"Usually they're at the base of the spine but since we have tails, Frieza's scientists thought it best not to implant them there. Thanks to me and Chichi, we don't have them anymore anymore. You don't even remember getting them out," Tarble replied matter-of-factly. He seemed pleased with that accomplishment. Kinomi rolled her eyes and looked into the fire. "We're going to have to leave as soon as your power gets at least halfway there."

"I agree. Are we close to the border?" She stood up to smother the fire.

"Yes. There's a planet called Tech-Tech coming close in its orbit. We should be able to take refuge there until further notice."

"Good. Let's get some rest." Kinomi pulled her brother to his feet. She gave him a quick shoulder hug and then hurriedly began walking away. "If you ever tell anyone about that I will skin you alive and feed you your tail." Tarble only laughed at the threat and followed her back to the house.

* * *

Bulma stared at a holographic map of the galaxy. She zoomed out from the planet they were on. She saw the name of the system they were in.  _The Remus System, a ten day travel from what used to be Frieza Planet One. Closest system to us is the Romulus System. I don't know much about that system. Maybe Vegeta knows if any planets are in it that have decent ships and communication devices_ , she thought. Then she glanced around the area and stood up to walk back into the house. She headed for the cooler and pulled it open.

"Empty. Why didn't I go looking for food earlier?" She thought about her day. She had not seen hide nor hair of Vegeta since the night before. When she awoke in the bathroom, he was already in the gravity chamber. He had not left once. "Vegeta isn't going to leave that training room for another couple of hours," Bulma mumbled to herself. She slammed the cooler shut and went to the small makeshift armory. She grabbed a weapon and a small sack. Then she headed back outside. She glanced up at the sky. "I only have about thirty minutes of good light left. Best make the most of it."

Contrary to what Bulma believed, Vegeta was not in the gravity simulator. Instead, he was standing on the cliff that Bulma loved to frequent. With the sun setting, the moons were becoming clearer and their light was becoming stronger. He needed to transform, if only for a little while. While he would normally have control over himself, the moonlight was so strong that it would prove to be more difficult than usual.  _The bigger question is will this transformation be felt from space? I doubt anyone is close enough to get a significant reading_ , he thought as he started to strip. The clothing they had was not made to stretch with him. He would have to go bare. Once he was undressed, Vegeta took a deep breath and jumped off the high cliff.

Bulma had traveled farther from the camp than she realized. She'd also stayed over the allotted time she'd given herself. However, her trip proved to be worth it. She ended up with a full bag of fruit; easily enough for seven more days.  _At least now I won't have to come back out here for a while. By the way, where is_ _ **here**_? she thought as she came to a stop. Somewhere along the line, Bulma had gotten turned around.  _Shit! This isn't good. Vegeta doesn't even know where I am_.

The lavender-haired telepath reached into her bag and pulled out a flashlight. After hitting it against her hand a few times, the bright light came on. Bulma glanced around and saw that she was completely surrounded by trees and darkness. She could not even hear the water from the river running. After making a complete circle, Bulma started walking to her right, using the flashlight as a guide. Her eyes were not adjusting to the darkness well.

The sounds of the forest were beginning to scare Bulma. She'd heard them before. However, hearing them while being under the protection of a Saiyan prince was something totally different than being alone in the forest. She tried to quiet her footsteps in order to not gain the attention of any predators.  _What's the point of that? Predators hunt. They'll have noticed me way before I notice them_.

A growl caused Bulma to stop in her tracks. The noise was so loud that Bulma wondered how she had not heard anything coming towards her. She turned off her flashlight and allowed her eyes to adjust. Glancing around, she saw nothing at first. The growl resounded and then turned into a full roar. It was coming from somewhere to Bulma's left. Her mind was screaming at Bulma to turn in the opposite direction and run for her life without looking back. Her body seemed to act on its own accord and Bulma started moving towards the noises.

As she grew closer, the growls continued and there was the sound of something breaking.  _Or is it something tearing? What will I see when I get to the source_? Bulma's fear seemed to dissipate as she stepped into a clearing. She stopped completely and gasped at what she saw.

The moonlight shone down on what appeared to be a large ape. The ape was tearing into the giant animal that was easily twice its size. Its hands were covered in blood and Bulma could see the innards of the dead animal hanging from its teeth. The ape had not yet noticed Bulma and she would have preferred it to stay that way. When she saw the large ears of the ape twitch, she knew it had heard her. The ape turned its head towards Bulma. Its red eyes narrowed at her. Bulma was staring right back at it. She felt as though she should be running in the opposite direction but she was so fascinated by the beast in front of her that she could not move.

 _Why haven't I ever seen this animal before? Is it the only one of its kind? And how does something this large sneak around? Surely Vegeta would've_... Her thoughts halted as Vegeta entered her mind.  _Vegeta_... Bulma took a single step forward.

The ape growled so low that it felt as though the ground shook with it. It stood up to its full height and walked across the clearing towards Bulma. Bulma lost her balance and fell to her knees. The bag of fruit dropped and the fruits rolled away. Bulma quickly got back on her feet as the ape stopped in the middle of the clearing.

"It attacks a beast much larger than it and then just watches something that isn't even a sixteenth its size. Perhaps I don't look tasty enough for it," Bulma whispered to herself. She continued to stare in the eyes of the ape. Its gaze had yet to leave her. Bulma took another step forward and once again the ape growled. Swallowing, Bulma started walking slowly towards the ape. She came out of the shadowed area of the clearing.

The fogginess in Vegeta's head started to evaporate as the small body in front of him became clearer. He had not realized how powerful the moons' light would be. It was overwhelming. He'd trained many times in order to control himself while transformed, but it had proven too much this time around. He tasted blood in his mouth and knew some unfortunate beast had crossed his path. The prince then focused on the lavender-haired being in front of him.

 _What is she doing out here? Doesn't she realize it's dangerous; that I'm dangerous_? Vegeta subconsciously growled at the approaching woman. She paused momentarily and then began her approach again.  _She's such an idiot_. Vegeta could feel his control slipping once more. He had to get away from Bulma but something kept him rooted in his spot. The cloudiness began to take over once more and he knew that he would probably kill her once that happened. He wanted to call out to her and tell her to get away but he couldn't. All he could do was keep sending warning growls.

Bulma stopped about 50 feet from the ape and stared up at it. It had been growling at her for the majority of the time she'd been walking. The displeased sound had not deterred her, though. She continued to stare at the animal in bewilderment. "Vegeta..." she whispered.

Surprisingly, the ape stopped growling. It stared at Bulma with a quizzical expression. Then it reached down towards her. Bulma gasped as its large hand wrapped around her body and lifted her until they were eye level. To her astonishment, the ape's touch was incredibly light. She had thought he would immediately squeeze the life out of her. Bulma watched as it scrutinized her slowly. It opened its free hand and placed Bulma on her feet in it. Bulma wobbled for a moment but quickly gained her balance. Though she was now covered in blood, it did not faze her too much.

"It is you, Vegeta," Bulma said quietly. The ape brought her closer and narrowed its eyes once again. Then it lowered its hand back to the ground. Bulma stumbled down to the ground and glanced back up at the ape.

Dust kicked up around Bulma and she shut her eyes. She opened them and watched as the ape began to shrink. Somehow, she was not surprised to learn that her hunch about the ape was right. She did not know how, but she knew that the ape was indeed Vegeta. It was part of the reason she did not back away.

Despite him being covered in blood, Bulma did not shy away from him. However, as Vegeta stared blankly at her, she could not think of anything to say. They just stood there staring at one another. Bulma said the first thing that popped into her head after the 5-minute staring match. "If you were hungry, all you had to do was say so." She gave Vegeta a tiny smile after her poor attempt at a joke. She mentally kicked herself at such an airheaded response.

Vegeta found her nervousness somewhat comical. "What are you doing out here, woman? You're too far away from the camp," he berated.

She rolled her eyes and looked away. "Yes, I know.  _Out here be monsters_  and all that. I just went to find some fruit and I wandered off farther than I thought. I tried finding my way back using the flashlight but then I stumbled upon you..." Bulma when she felt the sudden nearness of another body to hers. She turned her head back in Vegeta's direction to see that he was inches away from her. "You've gotta stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"For one, invading my personal space." Bulma placed her hands on his bare, bloody chest and pushed him lightly. As expected, it was like pushing against a stone wall and Vegeta did not move an inch. Sighing, Bulma turned around and started gathering up the fallen fruit. "Let's go back now. It's getting cold out here."

Vegeta inhaled slowly. He was only so close in order to scent her. To his displeasure, her scent was masked by all the blood she was covered in. He tried to tell himself that it was great that her scent was being masked; it most likely would've set his instincts off again. Still, he wanted to be near her. Vegeta knew why, but he was not ready to admit it to himself.

"Vegeta, did you hear me?" Bulma's voice pulled him out of his reverie. "I don't know the way back. You'll have to be my guide," she said. Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta stalked over to Bulma. Her eyes widened minutely before he picked her up in a bridal carry. She struggled to hang on to her bag of fruit. Before she could protest, Vegeta took off into the air. Bulma instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and held on.

The flight back was quiet with Bulma hiding her face against the cold air. Vegeta's body gave off its fair amount of heat on its own.  _How is he always so warm? Must be a Saiyan thing_ , Bulma thought. It wasn't until after they flew past the camp towards the waterfall that it set in that Vegeta was completely nude. She only took serious notice when he began descending towards the lake the waterfall emptied into.  _What the hell happened to his clothes? Has he been naked this whole time_?

"You're filthy, woman. You need to clean off before you track dirt and blood in the house," Vegeta said evenly.

Bulma scoffed. "You're one to talk. It's caked on you like a second skin. It's only on my clo... Vegeta, put me down!" The bag of fruit slipped from her fingers as Vegeta pried her arms from around his shoulder. Bulma fought to hold on but his grip was too solid. Vegeta peeled her off of him. When he was in the center of the lake, he stopped. Bulma's eyes widened in realization of what he was about to do. "Vegeta!"

The prince simply released her. She let out a yelp as she hit the water. Bulma quickly regained her bearings and stood up in the water. The water came up to her chest and it was cold. Bulma pulled her wet hair out of her face and glared daggers at Vegeta. He just hovered above her unflinching and looking smug.

"I'm still fully-clothed, idiot! Now look at me!"

"Take them off if you're so concerned about them." Vegeta lowered himself into the water.

Bulma pouted and turned away from him. She waded a few feet away from Vegeta and kept her back turned. She slowly began to peel her clothes off. They were ruined and no amount of washing would get the bloodstains out. She tossed the shirt away from her and removed her pants next. She could feel Vegeta watching her but did not look in his direction. She suddenly felt self-conscious around him. It was irrational; she had not felt this way the night before. So why was she attempting to keep herself hidden from him now?

Vegeta recognized what she was doing. There were two elephants in the lake, so to speak. He watched her scrub the blood off her arms silently. He moved slowly and silently over to her. When he was directly behind her, he stood still. Bulma stiffened slightly as his tail wrapped around her thigh. "Do you always walk right into danger zones, woman?" he whispered.

"Danger zones? I am in no danger around you, Vegeta," she said plainly.

"What if I had not recognized you? With the moons this strong, I could barely control myself. You are very lucky, woman."

Bulma smiled lightly. The water no longer seemed cold with Vegeta so near. "Even your subconscious wouldn't have hurt me, Vegeta."

"You walked right up to me like that, but you ran from me earlier. Why?" Vegeta saw her stiffen again. His tail squeezed her thigh a little. Bulma sighed and looked down at the water. "Woman..."

"The position I was in reminded me of something I'd rather I forget. It doesn't matter, though. I don't want to talk about it right now." Bulma turned around and faced him. A forced smile was on her face. "How did you find this place? I didn't even know there was a waterfall so close to the camp."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he looked down his nose at her. "Would it not have been beneficial for me to scout this area? Clearly you failed to do it."

Bulma frowned at him and turned around. She began wading towards the waterfall. The blood had gotten in her hair and she needed to wash it. The water got progressively deeper as she got closer to the waterfall. Soon, she found herself swimming a bit. When she got to the waterfall, she dunked her head under the water to get behind the falls. There was a small alcove behind it and Bulma swam to the wall. She turned around and looked for Vegeta. He was nowhere in sight.

"Vegeta!" she yelled. He had a nasty habit of disappearing and then reappearing out of nowhere. "Vegeta!" Bulma continued looking around but there was no sign of him. She swam out to where the moon shone into the small alcove and glanced around. "This isn't funny, Vegeta!"

"I'm right here, woman." Vegeta was against the wall to her left. Bulma sighed; she had not even seen him move. "Why did you come all the over here?"

"To wash my hair." For the first time, Bulma noticed that Vegeta's hair was not defying gravity. She'd never seen it wet before. She noticed how in its lax state, it covered his widow's peak. It almost made him look like a completely different person. Bulma was also surprised by the length of his hair. She moved towards him. He watched her silently. "I didn't know your hair was so long." She took a bit of it in her hands. It was thick and soft even when wet.

Vegeta grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. He held her against his chest. The scent of blood had been washed off of her and now all he could smell was her. He pushed her gently against the wall of the alcove, his tail finding her thigh under the water. Bulma watched as his eyes once again clouded over and glowed with a faint tint of red. She remained still as he nuzzled her neck.

"What do you call that form you took?" Bulma whispered.

"Either a Great Ape or Oozaru. Take your pick," Vegeta said without moving away from her neck. "Were you frightened?"

"Frightened? No. Intrigued? Yes. It's not every day one stumbles upon such a fascinating sight. You know," Bulma leaned up to his ear, "we can try again if you want to," she said softly.

Vegeta pulled back away from her. Bulma was giving him a small smile. "You are sure?" he asked. Bulma nodded. Vegeta moved away from her slightly but held on to her. He pulled her out of the alcove and to the spot behind the waterfall where the moons could be seen. Vegeta kept his back towards the light so he would not be tempted to look up.

Bulma was not a fan of floating in the middle of the water. Swimming from one point to another always ended with her holding on to something eventually; like a wall of rock. She never dwelled in deep water for too long. She held on to Vegeta as he pulled her closer. With his back to the moons, the shadow cast over him only left Bulma with the site of his glowing eyes. Unlike the night before, she did not feel the apprehension and shock when she looked at the more animalistic side of Vegeta. She was enthralled by this. She wanted to know more about this side of the Saiyans; this side of Vegeta in particular.

The prince nuzzled Bulma's neck again and inhaled long and deep. He exhaled and felt her shiver in his grasp. Squeezing his eyes shut, Vegeta lightly bit her left shoulder. Just as Bulma flinched, Vegeta swiftly hit a pressure point on her neck. She slumped in his arms. Vegeta looked down at her unconscious face.

"We'll try again," he gathered her up and hovered out of the water, "when you're ready."

* * *

"We've just gotten an abnormally high reading," Guldo, a member of the Ginyu Force, said as he stared at a holographic image of the immediate area. "It was coming from a planet in the Remus System."

"That could be one of the Saiyans. We might even get lucky and find that little girl as well," Jeice said. He turned to face Ginyu. "What do you think, captain?"

Ginyu sat in the commander's chair with a thoughtful expression on his face. They had had no luck whatsoever during their search. The Romulus System was full of uninhabited planets and it took time to search even those. They had to be quite thorough in their searches. Frieza was expecting results and it had been quite a while since they left the disgruntled overlord. "We have no choice but to investigate it. Follow this trail and see where it leads us. We might get lucky. Lord Frieza is expecting something better than what we've been giving him."

"Right!" the other five members of the force said.

Jeice went about changing the course and set it to the planet where the reading had come from. The little planet was only two days away. "Dokkyo, here we come," he said quietly.

* * *

Bulma opened her eyes. She was on her bed. How did she get here? She rolled over and winced. Her body was so stiff. She sat up and ran a hand through her damp hair. She tossed the covers back and saw she was naked. How did she end up this way? Bulma racked her brain for the last couple of hours. Closing her eyes, Bulma pictured the missing hours. Her eyes opened wide and she got out of the bed. Throwing on a shirt and pants haphazardly, she ran out of the room. She ignored the soreness and stiffness of her body as she made her way outside.

The sky was darker than usual even though it was daytime. Bulma looked up and saw clouds. In all the time they had been there, Bulma had not seen a single cloud in the sky. It was also windier than usual. Shaking off her discomfort, she headed towards the gravity simulator. As usual, it was running. She stepped up to the door and knocked loudly. After a few moments, it powered down and a few seconds later the door swung open to reveal a sweaty and annoyed-looking Saiyan prince. Bulma just stared at him for a moment.

Growing tired of her ogling, Vegeta stood up straight and crossed his arms. "What is it, woman? You're wasting precious time," he said gruffly.

Narrowing her eyes, she mirrored his stance. Vegeta was easily the moodiest person she'd ever known, not that she had very many people to go off of. "I see you're back to your old, surly self. I was hoping we could talk about last night, your highness."

"What's to talk about?" Vegeta asked coldly. Bulma held back a gasp at his harshness. "I have nothing to say so unless you do, I suggest you leave me alone while I train."

"Are you even going to acknowledge what happened last night?" Bulma yelled up at him.

 _Nothing happened. What the hell is she getting so bent out of shape about?_  Vegeta thought with a roll of his eyes. He belatedly noticed Bulma step up the stairs and slap him as hard as she could. Vegeta could not tell if he was more surprised at the fact that she had managed to take him off guard or that her strike left a stinging sensation on his face. He slowly turned his head back to face her.

Bulma was also a bit confused at how she managed to make contact with Vegeta's face. "Nothing? You call that  _nothing_? What the hell do you think I'm  _bent out of shape_ about, idiot?" She turned on her heel and stalked off without looking back.

It didn't dawn on her until much later that she had heard his thoughts without actually making contact with him. He still did not know what she was talking about, either. Nothing had happened!

* * *

Vegeta noticed that Bulma was true to her word. She did not so much as breathe in Vegeta's general direction for the next two days. At first, Vegeta thought it wise to allow her a day to cool off. When she was still snubbing him even when he tried to gain her attention the next day, he was confused. Sure, he had been less than sensitive in his words to her but they had been the truth. She should know that nothing happened between them, right?

Now he sat in the gravity chamber, meditating while spinning in the air. Or at least he was trying to meditate. Bulma was on his mind. He did found it peculiar that she read his thoughts unintentionally.  _I thought she had to make physical contact with me. She didn't touch me until after she'd already read my mind_ , he thought, his signature frown deepening. Sighing, he pushed thoughts of Bulma away for the time being. Extending his senses, his eyes opened immediately and he dropped to the floor.  _Shit! I didn't think they would find us so soon! It must've been my transformation that alerted them! I'm so fucking stupid_!

Vegeta opened the door to the gravity chamber and immediately capsulized it. He found her sooner than he expected. Bulma stood in the center of the river. In the middle, the water came up to her shoulders. What caught Vegeta by surprise was that the water was not touching her. In fact, she was not wet at all. The water had not slowed, but it was going around her as if it was being blocked by some invisible wall. Bulma was reaching forward and the water continued to go around her hand, keeping her completely dry. Vegeta noticed that blood was trickling from her nose. He rushed forward and pulled her out of the water.

Bulma pushed herself away from Vegeta as soon as he touched back down on the ground. Her head was pounding. She absentmindedly wiped her nose. Feeling the warmth on it, she looked at her hand and saw the blood. Then she glared up at Vegeta. "What did you do that for? You broke my concentration!"

"Woman, I don't think it's healthy for you to be pushing yourself like that," Vegeta said as he crossed his arms. She rolled her eyes and stalked past him, making sure to knock into his shoulder. Vegeta actually moved from her push. How was she doing that? He should not have moved at all. He followed after her as she walked towards the house. "Woman, stop."

"No, Vegeta. Go away. I have nothing to say to you." Bulma reached for the door of the capsule house. Her hand stopped before she could open the door. She stood still for a moment before rounding on Vegeta. "Someone's coming. Who's found us? Can't you feel their energy?" She advanced on Vegeta.

The prince crossed his arms and sighed. "Yes, woman. It's Ginyu and his lackeys. Apparently they landed on the other side of the planet. I've been too preoccupied to notice it. They'll be here in a few minutes," he said.

Bulma turned away from him and started biting her fingernails. Then she turned back towards him and put her hands on hips. "So what do we do? Hide?" she asked. Vegeta simply smirked at her. He strode past her into the house. She turned to follow him. "Vegeta! What do we do?"

"I can't fight all of them at once and I while I'm confident I can take at least three of them down separately, I am not looking to expose my true power right now. Scouters can send readings to Frieza and if he gets them he'll see me as a threat." Vegeta entered his room and began stripping.

Bulma leaned against the doorframe and watched him. While she vowed to never go near him again (in  _that_  way), there was no law against looking. "They'll take us back to Frieza?" Vegeta pulled on a fresh pair of pants and a shirt followed soon after. He faced Bulma again. The Ginyu Force was right upon them. He walked past Bulma. She closely followed after him. "Vegeta?"

"Woman, I know for a fact that they'll take you back to Frieza. I have no idea what they'll..." Vegeta caught a fist coming from his right side as he opened the door. He turned his head to see Jeice's surprised face. Vegeta gave Jeice's fist a squeeze, breaking at least three of his fingers. Jeice reared back, ripping his hand out of Vegeta's grasp. The prince smirked and continued his path outside. Bulma stayed close to him.

Ginyu was a bit surprised at Vegeta's reflexes. How had he even known Jeice was out there?  _Perhaps that girl told him of Jeice's presence. Frieza said she can read minds_ , he thought. He stood with his arms crossed, watching as Vegeta and the lavender-haired girl walked to the center of the circle created by the five members of the Ginyu Force.

"We've been looking for you, little lady," Recoome said.

Bulma turned her head to the burly redheaded man. "Oh yeah? Why's that? Why am I so important?" she asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

Recoome appeared confused for a moment. "Well, I think Lord Frieza thinks you're pretty important. I don't know why, though."

"Will we have to subdue you or will you come quietly, Vegeta?" Ginyu asked. There was no way Vegeta could handle all of them if he tried to escape. Sure he could probably take Guldo and Jeice out fairly easily, but Recoome, Burter, and especially himself was out of the question. He noticed the lavender-haired girl staring at him. "See something you like, girl?" He smirked at her.

Bulma's nose crinkled up. "That is not your true body; nor your true power."

Vegeta snorted in front of her. "Of course not, woman. He's a body changer; the lowest species in the galaxy. Stealing others' bodies for your own is deplorable," he said. He felt Bulma inch closer to him and place a hand on his back.

_What if he tries to switch with you?_

_Oh so you're talking to me now?_

_Vegeta..._

_Relax, woman. He thinks I'm weaker than he is. He'd never_ downgrade _. He's not that stupid._

_I still don't trust him._

"Let's get moving. The longer we wait, the angrier Lord Frieza gets," Ginyu said. Vegeta shrugged and Bulma gave him a look.

_I said relax, woman. We will play along for now. We need to get off the planet anyway._

Bulma was nervous, but she went along with Vegeta.  _I'm still mad at you._

Vegeta chuckled lightly.  _Duly noted._


	15. Control

Saiyans did not do well in enclosed spaces. It was torture on their psyche. It was half the reason they went into stasis during their travels between planets in pods. Saiyans were meant to roam uninhibited and freely. Being cooped up in a small cell was close to the worst punishment they could endure.

Vegeta had long ago trained himself to overcome the common claustrophobia that all Saiyans shared. He had to. As a child, one of Frieza's favorite punishments for Vegeta was to throw him in a small room that was not fit to even be a closet. It was dark, cold, and Vegeta could do nothing but claw at the walls. There was not even enough room for him to sit. Being in that dark, cramped room for any length of time would make even the most strong-willed of Saiyans go mad. Frieza would keep Vegeta in that room for hours or days; Vegeta had no way of knowing as it all ran together after a while. In order to make that  _punishment_  obsolete, Vegeta had to overcome the almost crippling fear.

While the cell Ginyu had put him in was nowhere near as cramped as that dreadful room on Frieza's main ship, it was still an enclosed, metal space with no way out except one locked door and an air vent. The walls were both resistant to his ki as well as draining. The only thing Vegeta retained in the room was his immense physical strength. Vegeta had not missed the tiny camera that was poorly hidden in a far corner from where he sat.

The prince knew it would be at least 2 weeks before they arrived at Planet 12. During that time, the ship would need to make at least one stop. If Vegeta was correct, the planet that Ginyu would stop on would be an ecumenopolis called Bedryf. That would be the halfway point of their journey.

 _The Bedryf docks are always quite busy. It should be easy enough to stow away on an outgoing ship. The only thing I really need to figure out is how to get out of this room_ , Vegeta thought as he opened his eyes. The Ginyu Force aside, Vegeta could feel at least 20 others on the ship.  _Low-level. Probably just some technicians and maintenance men_. Vegeta could feel Bulma close to him. She appeared to be on the same level as he was. There was no way he could communicate with her. Yet.

* * *

"We should arrive at Planet Twelve within a fortnight, my lord. There is only one stop scheduled and it is only to refuel," Ginyu explained to Frieza through a video transmission.

The overlord did not look happy with this development, but nodded nonetheless. "You say you need to make one stop. What planet is this on?"

"Bedryf, my lord."

Frieza tapped his finger against his chair. "That is a risky planet to choose as a rest stop. Are there no space stations in the area?"

"They are older stations, my lord. They do not have the necessary resources to recharge my ship."

"I see." Frieza glanced away from Ginyu for a moment. After a few seconds, he looked back at his head mercenary. "Very well, Ginyu. However, I would like to see them. Bring them to me," he said.

Ginyu thought the request was strange, but he nodded all the same. He looked over at Guldo. "Go get Vegeta. Jeice, go get the girl."

* * *

Bulma was sitting on a small bed with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She did not like the room she was in. They had told her that this was where she would be staying for the next 14 days, so she better get used to it. She'd only been on the ship for a few hours at the most, but she already felt alone. She knew Vegeta could not be far from her, but it felt odd knowing that she could just not go and see him.

 _Separation anxiety from him? Who knew_? she mused sarcastically.

The door to Bulma's room opened and she immediately looked towards it. The red-skinned, white-haired member of the Ginyu Force stood in the doorway. Bulma hugged her legs tighter to her. She did not like the way he was looking at her. "What do you want?" she asked with a clipped tone.

Jeice entered the room, slowly walking towards Bulma. "I don't think I appreciate your tone," he said. He watched Bulma crinkle her nose and look away. He took hold of her left wrist and pulled her to her feet roughly. "Frieza wants to have a word with you."

Bulma's frown disappeared. "Frieza? He's here?"

"Don't worry, little flower. He's only calling from the base on Planet Twelve. You needn't be afraid." Jeice touched a lock of Bulma's hair.

Bulma jerked her arm out of Jeice's grasp and took a few steps away from him. "Don't touch me." She stalked past Jeice and out of the room. She could hear him following her but paid no attention to him. It was not until she got to the front of the ship that she realized that she walked without really knowing where she was going. If Jeice found this strange, he said nothing as he strolled past Bulma. She looked ahead of her and saw the rest of the Ginyu Force, but one was missing. Frieza's face was on a giant screen in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward.

* * *

Guldo did not like Vegeta and he was pretty sure Vegeta hated him as well. He'd never liked the young prince since the day he met him when Vegeta was nothing but a decade-old pipsqueak. He thought Frieza was too lenient with the prince; the overlord gave Vegeta too many liberties. When he opened the door to Vegeta's cell, he was not surprised to see the prince sitting with his back to him, seemingly staring at the wall.

"Long time, no see, tubby," Vegeta said snidely.

"On your feet, monkey. Lord Frieza wants a word with you," Guldo said, ignoring Vegeta's insult. He watched Vegeta rise and turn to face him. "Move quickly. Lord Frieza does not like to be kept waiting."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Don't rush me, lard ass." He stalked past Guldo, making sure to bump into him. The four-eyed alien squeezed his fists together and followed Vegeta out without another word.

When he arrived, he saw Bulma standing at the front of the room facing the big screen with Frieza's frowning face on it. She seemed to feel Vegeta's presence and turned to look at him. He nodded subtly and walked over to her. Bulma kept her eyes trained on him as he made his way across the room.

To say Frieza was less than pleased when Vegeta and Bulma were finally in front of him would be grossly understating it. The overlord was still very angry with the Planet 1 incident. With his most prized  _possessions_  finally before him, all Frieza did was smirk evilly. He simply stared at the two fugitives and waved Ginyu off without any sign of gratitude. Ginyu bowed and motioned for his men to leave the room as well.

Bulma found herself growing nervous under Frieza's stare. The feeling was not betrayed on her face, but Bulma had to fight the urge to move behind Vegeta. Frieza's eyes just kept going between the two of them and he had not yet said anything. In all her years under Frieza, Bulma had never seen him so...  _Steely. What's his deal_? She imperceptibly leaned into Vegeta's side so that they were barely touching. Vegeta noticed but did not move.

The overlord looked away from the two and cleared his throat. "What happened on Planet One?" he asked. The question was directed at both Bulma and Vegeta. Frieza watched as neither made a move to answer.

 _What do we tell him? We didn't discuss this_ , Bulma told Vegeta frantically. She practically heard the smirk in Vegeta's mind and rolled her eyes.  _It's not funny, Vegeta_.

 _If I remember correctly, you were the one who refused to talk to me. I know what I'm going to tell him_ , Vegeta responded.

"Am I talking to myself? Surely you both could not have become mutes over the course of three months. Something like that would take years," Frieza said derisively.

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm still perfectly capable of talking," she snapped.

Frieza smiled at her. "There's that fire. At least one of you speaks." He turned his gaze to Vegeta. "Anything to say for yourself, Vegeta?"

Vegeta stared blankly at Frieza for a moment. Then he relaxed his stance and crossed his arms across his chest. "Nothing happened that I was the cause of. That invading army had limiters and a Destroyer. We were handicapped severely by the limiters. Once the Destroyer was utilized, there was nothing we could do. Planet One was doomed after that. I took my unit and we made our way off the planet."

"And how did  _you_  end up with  _him_?" Frieza glared over at Bulma.

Bulma took a deep breath. "I decided the safest place for me was a place where my bodyguard could easily find me if something were to go awry. They helped me get off the planet but Vegeta and I ran out of time so we ended up crowding into..."

"What happened with Zarbon?"

"He got in the way," Vegeta said before Bulma could answer. She had been about to weave around the truth, but Vegeta had beaten her to it. "A shame, really. He surprised me. My priority was to make sure everyone got off the planet before it exploded. Kill first, ask questions later."

Frieza almost laughed at Vegeta's answer. It was an unpredictable response and was probably a half-truth, but he would accept it for now. "You've been gone all this time and have not been able to contact anyone?"

"We crashed on a deserted planet outside of the PTO's jurisdiction. There was no way to contact anyone so far away. I waited for the full moon on the planet to transform, hoping my power would alert anyone close by. It appears to have worked," Vegeta said clearly and concisely.

The overlord tapped his finger against the chair once again. "I have wasted a great deal of time and resources on finding you two. Where is the rest of your litter, Vegeta? They've yet to report back in at any of my bases."

 _That's good. That means everyone else is safe_ , Bulma thought.

 _Shut up, woman! I'm trying to think and I don't need your thoughts invading mine_ , Vegeta said to her mentally. Bulma blinked at his harsh tone with her but did not chance a glance at him with Frieza watching them so closely.

"I haven't had any contact with the others. I don't know where any of them landed. They could be anywhere within or outside PTO borders," Vegeta replied coolly.

Again, Frieza got the feeling that Vegeta knew more than he let on. However, he said nothing else on the matter. Instead, he turned his attention to Bulma. He got decent look at her. Her general appearance was the same. She had a decent tan and she seemed a little more toned. Other than that, nothing much had changed. "I've yet to decide what I will do with the both of you once you get here. You've cost me a great deal of time and money. Don't let something like this happen again. You may go."

Vegeta immediately turned on his heel and started to march out. Bulma looked between him and Frieza. Swallowing, she followed Vegeta out quickly. Outside the doors, the rest of the Ginyu Force waited in the corridor. Guldo took Vegeta by his arm and began guiding him away.

Bulma watched them go, but she could see the glint in Vegeta's eye.  _He knows something_ , she thought as Jeice grabbed her roughly. She pulled away from his grasp and walked in the opposite direction. He followed her back to the room she was given. Bulma entered without a word and sat down. She listened to the door shut before sighing and leaning back against the wall.  _This is going to be a long trip_.

* * *

Late that night, Bulma's eyes snapped open. She immediately sat up. She saw a dark figure moving in the room. She opened her mouth to scream but the dark figure moved faster than she could see and covered her mouth. Bulma struggled to get out of their grasp.

"Relax, woman."

Bulma's eyes widened and she stopped fighting. The hand moved away from her mouth and she turned to face her visitor. "Vegeta? What the hell are you doing in here?  _HOW_  did you get in here?" She looked around him. There did not seem to be anything missing from the walls.

"I have skills," Vegeta replied, sitting down in front of her.

"Skills? Who cares... Was that a joke?" She received only a blank stare as if Vegeta did not know what she was talking about. Rolling her eyes, she returned to her original question. "What are you doing here, Vegeta? What if they find out that you're here? There are cameras everywhere."

Vegeta shook his head. "Not in this room, woman. I checked. How do you always get the room with no surveillance? The point of this visit is to tell you that we won't be going to Planet Twelve."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What do you mean? We're getting off this ship? I don't mean to doubt your warrior prowess, but there are five of them and only two of us. Not to mention the soldiers who work beneath them. We can't make it off the ship right now," she said.

"Silence, woman. We're getting off the ship when it arrives at the halfway point: Bedryf. We will make an escape from there," Vegeta said. Bulma stared at hum incredulously. "What is it, woman?"

"It's an ambitious plan, Vegeta. Where are we going to go while on Bedryf?"

"You let me worry about the details, woman. Just be ready to run when I say. Of course, you are welcome to stay here..."

"Fine! Just tell me what's supposed to happen," Bulma said.

Vegeta watched her pout in the darkness for a moment. She was acting like a child and he had a feeling she knew it but didn't want to admit it. "I'm going to contact the resistance..."

Bulma uncrossed her arms. "How are you going to do that? You have some sort of commu..." She trailed off when she saw Vegeta glaring at her indignantly. "Sorry."

The prince snorted and folded his own arms across his chest. "I'm going to contact that blonde woman and find out her location. When we get to Bedryf, we will make our move. When that day comes, you must do everything I say without question. I'm serious. We will not have time for you to question and second guess my strategy. I will leave you here. Understand?"

"You don't have to talk to me like I'm a child, Vegeta. But I understand." Bulma sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'm still mad at you."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Your anger is misplaced."

"Oh really? We do...  _it_  and you just brush it off..."

"Woman, we didn't do anything."

Bulma blinked a few times. "What do you mean? We  _did_! We were in the water and together and..." She stopped talking. For some reason, her memory of that night stopped there. The next thing she could remember was waking up in the house. She turned her glare back to Vegeta. "Well, I can't remember anything right now but I'm sure something happened."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and moved closer to Bulma, trapping her against the wall. "Believe me, woman. If something had happened between us, it wouldn't be something you would so easily forget."

The lavender-haired girl sighed and bit her lip at the suggestive comment. "So nothing happened?" she whispered. Vegeta placed a hand on the wall and leaned forward to her. She looked up at him in the dark as he shook his head. "Why not?"

"It is not something you are ready for, woman. I know it and you know it," he said. There was talking coming from outside the room. Both Vegeta and Bulma glanced towards the door and paused. When no one entered and the sound of voices faded, Vegeta looked back at Bulma. "My time is short. Remember what I said, woman."

Bulma watched him move towards the wall across from her. He jumped up and climbed through a small hole. A second later, a piece of the ceiling was replaced. Shaking her head, Bulma lay back down and stared at the wall. She did not know where Vegeta would take her, but anywhere was better than in the clutches of Frieza.

* * *

Juu was walking into her stateroom when her keen hearing heard a high-frequency ringing. She blinked a few times and moved towards her closet. Her secret radio was receiving a signal. There were only two people who knew how to contact her on this radio. Locking her closet door behind her, she moved her hanging clothes over and placed her hand on a panel. The panel read her handprint and popped open. Juu put on the headset and turned the receiver on. " _Yellow_  here," she said. There was silence for a moment. "Hello?"

" _Are you alone_?" It was Vegeta.

"This is my private line. What is it? Where are you?" Juu sat down. She was almost happy to hear Vegeta's voice. The line did not disguise their voices.

" _On a ship with the Ginyu Force. They found us and are currently taking us to Planet Twelve. There will be a stop in four days at Bedryf. We plan to depart from there. Is there any way_..."

" _Us_? You are not alone?"

" _No. The woman is with me. The others scattered, though_."

Juu hummed to herself. "I see. I am too far away from Bedryf to make it there in time. However, I do have some operatives gathering supplies. I can have them await your arrival and then you can make your way here. They will assist in your escape."

There was another long moment of silence before Vegeta spoke again. " _Are these operatives easily spotted and well-trusted_?"

"They'll come to you."

" _And how am I supposed to know who these operatives are_?"

Juu chuckled softly. "I guarantee you that they'll be very recognizable."

* * *

Kinomi flexed the fingers on her right hand. She looked past her fist, she saw her twin picking himself up out of the hole his body had created. The princess smirked. Her strength had returned for the most part. She glanced around the area and saw the young Tech-Tech native that had taken a liking to her brother. Her name was Gure and at the moment she appeared worried. Kinomi rolled her eyes.  _Oh for the love of_...

"He's fine! Tarble can handle much more than a simple punch like that. I barely touched him," Kinomi said loudly. She crossed her arms and waited for Tarble to come back over to them. She noticed he was sporting what would soon turn into a nasty bruise. "Well, maybe I did hit him a little harder than I thought."

Tarble shook the dizziness away as he approached Kinomi. "You've gotten your power back. The problem you have now is controlling it."

Kinomi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"That punch was ki-infused, Kinomi. Had I not strengthened the ki shield surrounding me then you would've taken my head off. You didn't even realize that, did you?"

"No. So you're saying I have to learn how to fight all over again?" A screaming match ensued between the twins.

Meanwhile, Gure jumped as she heard the scouter she held starting to beep. She looked into it and saw there was an incoming message. She immediately ran over to the yelling twins and cleared her throat. The both of them glared down at her. Swallowing, she held up the beeping scouter. "I think it's for you."

Tarble relaxed his face. He gently took the scouter from Gure and placed it over his right eye. The moment he turned the transmission on, he heard the arguing of Turles and Nappa in the background with Raditz sighing in irritation. "Hello?"

Raditz cleared his throat. "Tarble! Is that you?"

"Yeah. Where are you guys? Have you heard from Vegeta or Kakarrot? I haven't at all. I'm not even sure they have scouters to contact us..." Tarble continued talking and asking several questions in succession without pausing to give Raditz a chance to answer.

Seeing what her brother was doing, Kinomi snatched the scouter from Tarble's head. He protested by reaching for it but Kinomi kept him at bay by placing a hand on his forehand and holding him back. "Sorry about that, Raditz. Where are you guys?"

"Some deserted planet. This is the first time we've been able to contact anyone. I suppose this planet's orbit has taken it to a place where we can send out signals. Have you regained your power yet?" he asked.

"Of course! Tarble says I need practice controlling my ki or some such nonsense. Are you guys going to leave any time soon?" She sounded hopeful.

"Uh, I'm not sure. We don't really have anywhere to go at the moment. We need to get in touch with Vegeta. Until we know where he for sure, we can't risk leaving yet. Stay where you are and stay close to this scouter," Raditz replied. He could practically feel the frown on Kinomi's face. "We'll leave as soon as we have a definite location. Patience, squirt."

"Don't call me that. We'll talk later." Kinomi ended the transmission.

* * *

Bulma was shaken awake as she rolled off the bed. She groaned as she sat up on the cold metal floor. There was a rumble throughout the ship and then it all stopped. Bulma got to her feet. She touched the wall. The ship had come to a stop. Swallowing, she realized they had most likely come to Bedryf.  _This is the day_ , she thought.

"I hope you're decent, princess." Jeice opened the door with no warning. Bulma glared over at him. "Move it, princess. The captain doesn't want to leave you and Vegeta alone on the ship."

Bulma stared blankly at him for a moment. She stood and walked towards him. Before she could get past him, Jeice snapped a collar around her neck. Bulma pushed herself away from him. She brought her hand up and touched the metal collar. "What the hell is this?"

"Just something to keep you in line. Come along now." Jeice walked past Bulma. She just stood there, watching him go. He turned and looked at her when he realized she was not following. Bulma caught sight of something in his hand. He pressed whatever it was and a shock of pain jolted through Bulma's neck. She held onto the wall and coughed. She glanced up at Jeice malevolently. "Come along, princess."

Vegeta was not wearing a collar when Bulma saw him. Instead, he wore two wristbands. When he caught sight of Bulma, he noticed her rubbing her neck. She looked like she was on the verge of crying. Jeice was leading her along with a smug expression on his red face. Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta managed to gain Bulma's attention. He nodded towards her as the gate to the ship began to open.

Bedryf was an ecumenopolis. The entire planet was one gigantic city. From the position of the main docks, there was no way to see the actual surface of the planet. Skyscrapers seemingly grew like plants from the ground up. Bulma had never seen anything like the planet in her life while Vegeta appeared unimpressed with it. She vaguely wondered how they were going to escape on this planet. There would certainly be enough commotion they could cause in such a busy place.

"Step lively, you all. We don't want to spend longer on this planet than is needed. Frieza is growing even more anxious for our arrival," Ginyu said has he stepped off the ship's ramp.

The moment Ginyu stepped off the ramp, two feet slammed into his face, sending him flying back into Guldo. Another fist collided with Burter's face. Bulma's eyes widened when she saw two figures clad in black full bodysuits. Even their faces were covered. She glanced over at Vegeta. Once again, his face was the picture of steel.

The Ginyu Force immediately went on the offensive. Recoome began sending blasts at the smaller of the two intruders. They expertly dodged as they made their way towards the large man. Each missed blast was damaging the ship's metallic floors and walls. Recoome did not seem to notice and kept blasting away at the quickly advancing assailant. The small figure jumped clear over Recoome, grabbed him by his head and slammed him on his face. Next, they rammed their elbow into an already reeling Burter's back. The larger of the two appeared in front of Vegeta and broke the cuffs off Vegeta's wrists. The prince grinned wryly and rubbed his wrists.

"Get her out of here, Jeice!" Ginyu yelled as he grabbed the prince before he could escape. Jeice obediently picked Bulma up and flew from the ship.

Having accomplished their main objective, the two intruders disappeared from the ship after Bulma. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and threw his head back. He heard the satisfying crack of a nose breaking and spun out of Ginyu's arms. The prince noticed Guldo inhaling. Before Guldo's  _trick_  could be set into motion, Vegeta moved behind him and snapped his neck.

"You insolent little..." Ginyu said no more as Vegeta's foot collided with his face, rendering him unconscious. Vegeta would let a disappointed Frieza do the rest.

Vegeta set his sights on Burter. Burter was fast but not much of a fighter. He could probably dodge whatever Vegeta could throw at him. However, it appeared as though the taller alien was still in a state of shock at having his back broken. How he remained standing amused Vegeta. Burter glanced down at Vegeta as stood in front of him.

"Frieza will find out about this," he whispered hoarsely.

A sadistic grin spread across Vegeta's face. "I'm sure he will." He grabbed Burter by the face and vaporized his head. He then looked around at the petrified lesser soldiers. They knew they stood no chance against Vegeta. "You can either tell Frieza what I've done or you can stay here and die." His threat did not go unheard. Vegeta smirked as the weak ones flooded out of the damaged ship. Then he looked out of the ship in the direction Jeice had taken Bulma. He could feel her distress. An ominous flashback crossed his mind momentarily before he took off after them.

One of the saviors glanced behind them. They saw the prince catching up to them at breakneck speed. Blinking a few times, they turned back ahead of them. Had Jeice not been using Bulma as a shield, they would have been able to save her a lot sooner. They were dodging flying vehicles and people as Jeice flew through them. They could see Bulma trying to fight to get out of his grasp.

 _If he drops her, this will definitely get ugly_ , they thought.

* * *

Bulma was indeed fighting. As she fought, Jeice threatened to drop her. "We both know you won't do that!" Bulma yelled in his face. She continued to claw at him. Jeice's grip on her was starting to hurt. It was only so long before he broke a bone. With a burst of strength, Bulma pulled herself up and took hold of Jeice's neck with her teeth. The coppery taste of blood entered her mouth. Jeice yelled and pulled her away. Bulma pushed away at the same time and he released her.

As Bulma entered free-fall, she felt her heart rate increase. She saw Jeice get tackled by one of black-clad fighters. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Vegeta and the other one coming for her. Just as it registered that she would be saved, the collar activated. The electrical current rushed through her body and centered on her head, becoming more and more painful as she clawed at it to get it off. The pain was beginning to blind her and she was barely aware of her own ear-piercing scream. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeice starting to fly towards her as well.

* * *

Vegeta had initially sped up as Bulma began her descent. He was close to her location when a terrible feeling overcame him. He came to an abrupt stop and turned around. He grabbed the other black-clad savior around their waist and flew as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"Vegeta, what are you..."

The wind was knocked out of them as Vegeta tossed them into a small waste tunnel. Vegeta pushed them further inside and covered them with his body. Barely a few seconds later, there was a rumbling and then what sounded like an explosion. The tunnel shook and the metal contorted with the force of the explosion. The tremor stopped after a few moments and Vegeta pushed himself up. His rescuer tore their mask off, revealing Chichi.

"What the hell just happened, Vegeta?"

Vegeta glanced behind him. "She lost control," he said plainly. He crawled out of the tunnel. Chichi sat there for a moment before following after him. He was already levitating in the air when she climbed out. She gasped at the site.

The destruction was immense. The skyscraper windows in the area had shattered. The flying vehicles had been either torn apart or exploded as well. People were in a state of panic. Fires were popping up all over the immediate vicinity. Vegeta moved through the area. Chichi stayed close to him as she looked around in awe of the destruction. There was screaming heard all around her. As they got closer to the epicenter of the devastation, the dust and debris seemed to be in a state of suspended animation. Vegeta stopped before entering the cloud of dust and debris and Chichi stayed behind him.

Kakarrot was descending into the area as well. He had already removed his mask and was glancing around in search of anyone he knew. He saw Chichi and Vegeta below him and flew over to them. "Hey guys!" He stopped next to Vegeta. "Is this why you told me to take cover, Vegeta?" He gestured to the area around them.

The ruined area seemed to follow a pattern. It was almost a perfect sphere where everything had been cleared. The dust and debris orbited the area like a planet orbits its parent star. The skyscrapers had been sliced through like butter. It was very close to what Vegeta had witnessed on Axl, only with far more death.

"Stay here," Vegeta said. He disappeared into the dusty sphere before Chichi and Kakarrot could say anything.

Inside the suspended sphere, Vegeta moved through the dust. He headed towards the center of the swirling debris. He was not surprised to see who was there, but he was surprised to see her condition. Vegeta stopped directly in front of her and took in her appearance.

Bulma was suspended in the air, staring straight ahead with a vacant expression and darkened eyes. From what he could see of it, her skin was very pale. The only thing significantly different from the last time he saw her was that she was covered in someone's blood. It was dripping from her chin and her fingers. It was almost as if she had been dipped in it. Her general appearance was not what worried Vegeta. What worried him was that she did not appear to be controlling her power. Everything within a certain radius of her was at her mercy; moving according to her will. Everything except Vegeta himself. He snapped his finger in front of her face. Nothing happened.

 _How am I going to get her out of this? We need to leave the planet before anything else happens_ , he thought. He moved closer to her. He raised his hand and touched her arm. She flinched slightly. Vegeta took her hand into his own.  _Woman, pull it back in. Control it_.

* * *

It appeared as though she was a prisoner of her own mind. She could hear a familiar voice coming from somewhere. Who was it? It sounded like Vegeta. He was telling her something. What was it? He sounded so far away. Bulma forced herself to blink. He was yelling at her now. She struggled to inhale. Once she did, she started coughing. She felt herself falling again, but this time someone pulled her up. She opened her eyes and looked up. Vegeta was holding her. "Ve... Vegeta..."

"Quiet, woman." Vegeta watched her cough a few more times. Blood came up and spattered on his face. Then her body went lax as she passed out. Vegeta pulled her up into a bridal carry and flew back towards the others.

* * *

Juu tapped her finger on the side of her chair. She should have heard from the others by now. She was lucky enough to come across Chichi and Kakarrot as they planet-hopped. They had stowed away on one of the supply ships. Once she figured out who they were, she had asked them to keep an eye out for the others. As luck would have it, they happened to be in the area when Vegeta and Bulma would arrive on Bedryf. If Vegeta was going to trust anyone with his escape, it would be his own people.

When the call came through, Juu was surprised to see how dirty Vegeta appeared. Blood was smeared on his clothes. Yet, he did not look as if he'd been in a battle. He was free of cuts and bruises,but he looked like he'd walked through a slaughterhouse. "Are you okay?" was all Juu could think of to ask at the moment.

Vegeta glanced down at himself. "I'm fine. This isn't my blood."

"Then what the hell happened? The intergalactic news is reporting some sort of attack on Bedryf. I saw the pictures of the area and it..."

"It was the woman," Vegeta cut her off.

Juu raised a golden eyebrow. "Vegeta, it looked as though a hole was blown out of the planet's buildings. The injuries to the people looked as though a very sharp blade had sliced through them. How could Bulma have caused all of that?"

Vegeta sighed. "She can do things with her mind that far exceed just reading thoughts. She is just discovering she has these abilities and is working to control them. I believe Frieza knew she had them and kept them regulated with some sort of limiting chip. She's broken free of whatever was hindering her. The only problem is control. In situations of great peril, she has lost control and the results have been... devastating."

"What exactly can she do?"

"It's clear she has some sort of telekinetic abilities. At first they seemed quite menial." Vegeta thought about that statement. "Well, they've never been just menial. But she can't control her full power. I've seen it before and it was nowhere near the scale of the obliteration today."

Juu pondered Vegeta's words for a moment. She had thought Bulma's powers would be useful but never had she imagined how dangerous the lavender-haired girl could be. "Such unchecked power can be just as dangerous to us as it could Frieza. Are you sure this was the full extent of her powers?" she asked. She was not surprised to see Vegeta shake his head. "Why not?"

"She's getting stronger. I can't imagine what could have happened were she not bound to her corporeal body."

"Corporeal body? Vegeta, what are you talking about?"

Vegeta shook his head. "We've spoken for too long. We will soon be at your location. Kakarrot will call if assistance is needed." He cut the call before Juu could say anything else on the matter.

Juu relaxed back in her seat.  _This girl sounds terrifying. How can someone so small and meek wield such a dangerous power without even knowing it_? She knew she had to make a few calls.

* * *

Chichi peeled the melted and mangled collar from Bulma's neck. There were red, irritated puncture wounds where the collar had been shocking her. Chichi examined the collar. It appeared to have shorted out somehow before melting from the inside. Luckily, Bulma had not suffered any burns. Chichi took some antiseptic and began cleaning the irritated area around Bulma's neck.

"She hasn't woken up yet?" Kakarrot asked as he entered the small infirmary. He looked down at Bulma as Chichi cleaned her wounds. "I see you cleaned her up."

"I'm sure the last thing she wants to see when she wakes up is how bloody she was. I wonder whose blood it was. There weren't any significant wounds on her. All she had was a bruise on her left side where Jeice had been holding her. By the way, what happened to Jeice?"

"The woman was wearing him," Vegeta said from the door. Chichi and Kakarrot turned to see him leaning against the wall. "She killed him."

Chichi shook her head. " _Wearing him_? How would she accomplish that, Vegeta?"

"What do you think those soft, meaty chunks were that you cleaned from the woman? It definitely was not dirt. It was  _flesh_. The woman can will apart anyone with a mere thought."

Kakarrot stared down at Bulma. "Then why doesn't she..."

"Because she can't control it." Vegeta came towards them and walked around the examination table Bulma was on. "She's not even fully aware that she can do it. And I expect you to keep what happened to yourselves. The last thing we need is for her to be afraid of her own power." His tone did not leave it up for debate. Both Chichi and Kakarrot nodded. They all looked down at the unconscious Bulma.

* * *

The wine glass Frieza held shattered in his hand. The liquid ran down his hands onto his floating chair. Zarbon and Dodoria stood on either side of him. The soldier who had come to give Frieza the grim news looked as though he was going to faint. "What did you say?" Frieza's tone sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.

"Um... Captain Ginyu is in a hospital on Bedryf along with Recoome. Burter and Guldo are dead and no one has seen Jeice since the attack. Prince Vegeta and... Bulma are missing," the soldier said with his voice near a whisper. Just as he was finishing, a tiny red blast shot through his chest. Shocked, he looked down and then back up at Frieza before falling to the floor.

Frieza turned away from the dying soldier and glared out of the window. "This situation displeases me, Zarbon," he said.

"What would you have me do, my lord?" Zarbon was relatively surprised at how well Frieza appeared to be taking this setback. He'd actually left a body to be disposed of this time.

"Contact Cooler. Tell him to send her to me."

Zarbon blinked a few times and glanced at Dodoria. The other alien shrugged and Zarbon looked back at Frieza. "Who, my lord?"

"Cooler will know who I am speaking of. Just tell him to send her and send her  _now_." Frieza turned his chair and sped out of the room.

* * *

Bulma shivered as she came back to the conscious plane. Her head was killing her. She raised her left arm to touch her forehead. After rubbing the aching spot for a moment, she pulled herself up. Glancing around, she was in a small stateroom of a ship. It was nothing like the room she had been in on Ginyu's ship. There was table with clothes sitting on top of it. Bulma looked down at herself and rolled her eyes.  _Naked. Why am I not surprised_? She rose from the bed and moved over to the table. After pulling on the bodysuit, she started walking towards the door to the room.

Opening the door, she peeked out before stepping into the dark hallway. The lights were dimmed but the ship was silent as far as she could tell. Bulma wrapped her arms around herself and started walking. As far as she knew, the ship was nothing fancy nor was it large. She was in the control room not long after leaving her room. She stopped in the doorway and glanced around.

It was deserted except for a familiar head of hair. Bulma entered the room and walked over to the pilot's chair. She sat on the edge and looked down at the sleeping prince. His face was so relaxed that he looked almost like a completely different person. Bulma could tell he was dreaming by the way his eyes twitched. She watched him for a few moments more before leaning down towards him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

* * *

_The pain was too much to bear. Scratching at the source of her pain did nothing. She could not pull it off. All she could do was scream. Her throat was growing raw as she did so. Tears started to form in her eyes and she could see her captor flying to retrieve her. She did not want to go back. She refused to go back. He was never going to touch her again._

_The screaming suddenly stopped. Her descent suddenly stopped. Everything suddenly stopped. She could see her captor's eyes. They were the eyes of a frightened man. He was holding something in his hand. She felt the anger rising within her as she realized what it was. The shocks of pain were a distant thought as she watched him press on the little remote. She narrowed her eyes and the wind around them picked up._

_"You can't hurt me," she said in the swirling vacuum around them grew faster and faster. Her eyes never left his terrified ones. Even as his skin peeled away and the blood began to spurt from his body, her firm gaze never wavered. "You can't hurt me," she repeated. The wind swirled faster and faster._

_Then it all exploded._

* * *

Vegeta jerked out of the dream suddenly. Sensing the presence above him, he grabbed the arm that was balancing the person on the edge of the seat and pulled. The person above him fell awkwardly into his lap with a little yelp. Vegeta realized it was only Bulma and relaxed.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said.

"You did no such thing, woman. You just shouldn't sneak up on me," Vegeta said while stifling a yawn. "Why are you up? You should be resting."

"Says the man who's snoring in the pilot's chair. Shouldn't you be making sure we don't fly into a star or something?" Bulma glanced out the big window before them. They were surrounded by darkness, but there were little dots of stars that would zoom by. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," was all Vegeta offered her. Bulma nodded and stood up. Vegeta watched as she walked towards the window. Something was clearly troubling her. "What is it, woman?"

Bulma bit her lip. "I can't remember," she said quietly. She turned and faced Vegeta. "What happened after we were rescued? Who rescued us?"

Vegeta figured her memory would be shot. "Kakarrot and Chichi were the ones to attack Ginyu. That fool Jeice dropped you. You were caught and we had to make a hasty escape before we were caught again. Trust me, woman. Nothing eventful happened in the gaps of your memory."

She stared at him for a moment. He wasn't lying to her. Vegeta never lied to her. However, she knew he was deliberately withholding information. She said no more on the matter.  _If he's keeping it from me, I'm sure it's something I'd rather not know_ , she reasoned to herself.

Vegeta watched Bulma intently. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. He had not lied, but he'd withheld vital information. He looked her over while she stared out at the vast vacuum of space. She was wearing a black bodysuit similar to the ones Chichi and Kakarrot had worn earlier. The only difference was that the suit did not cover her hands and feet. He also noticed her hair. While it was braided, he could see that more and more of it was turning a very light blue. Intrigued, Vegeta rose from his seat.

Bulma was so engrossed with the vast emptiness outside of the window that she did not notice Vegeta's reflection approaching her. By the time she saw him, he was directly behind her. She turned around as he trapped her between him and the window. She watched in silence as he took a lock of her hair and held it up. Bulma looked at the strands. "I don't know what's happening to it. I don't know why, either."

Vegeta fingered the soft, wavy hair. From this distance, he could smell her natural scent again. Even though he was no longer influenced by the moons of Dokkyo-sei, he still found her scent very pleasing; it was almost  _alluring_. She had no idea what she did to him. "It... suits you," he said bluntly. He watched her smile at him, the apprehensiveness gone from her face.

"You should get some rest, Vegeta."

"I'll rest when I'm dead, woman."

"That is not funny."

"It wasn't meant to be." Vegeta smirked when she punched him in the chest. As he looked down at her lips, he had a brief flashback of her coughing up blood from earlier. Blinking the image away, his tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

* * *

Kakarrot came walking into the room while rubbing his eyes. Just as he was about to call out to Vegeta about switching places, he caught sight of the two near the window locked in a deep kiss. He swallowed his words before he could make any noise and stopped walking. Smiling to himself, he made an about face and crept back out the way he came. When he got back to his stateroom, he crawled back in the bed next to Chichi.

Chichi rolled over. "Aren't you supposed to be on watch right now?" she whispered sleepily.

Kakarrot wrapped his arm around her. "It's fine," he replied. Chichi mumbled something else but it was unintelligible. She was already back asleep. "Vegeta's got it covered," Kakarrot whispered before he too fell back into slumber.


	16. The Stars

Cooler scrolled down the list of the planets under his control. He'd just acquired his 257th planet a few days ago.  _A hot planet; mostly beaches and deserts. The inhabitants were quite appealing. Perhaps it would be good for entertainment purposes. I should send someone to investigate further_ , he thought as he looked over the planet's data.

Unlike his brother, Cooler preferred to get the best bang for his buck. He only sold the planets that had no distinguishing features that made it productive. If the planet had nothing to offer him, he would sell it to the highest bidder after purging it. Those planets that did have something to offer, Cooler would not purge them. He  _employed_  the planet. The inhabitants remained alive but they worked for Cooler from then on. Cooler owned planets that made him money; mining precious minerals, vacation spots, brothels... Anything that could make Cooler money, he kept. It was one reason he was seen as more  _benevolent_ than his brother.

Cooler cut his eyes to the left when he heard the door to his office open. Only one person ever dared to enter his space without announcing themselves. He sighed and went back to scrolling through the information on his new planet, soon to be renamed Cooler Planet 257.

"He calls for me," a scratchy voice said.

" _He_  does, does he? How do you know this?" Cooler asked, looking towards the intruder.

"I can feel it. He wants me to find her."

"And you can tell him where she is?"

"I can tell him many things about her. Her location is the least of his problems. What he knows not about her will be his undoing."

"Speaking in riddles again, Baba." Cooler turned in the swiveling chair to face the newcomer: an old woman with scraggly pink hair. Cooler guessed she was human, but he had found her long before Earth was destroyed. She could see the future, past, and present. Her vast knowledge of every race in the known galaxy proved to be most useful to Cooler. Though she had these abilities, Baba was very picky as to when she would use them. That was something that irritated Cooler the most, but she was much too valuable an ally to kill for insubordination. Then again, Cooler could hardly call Baba an ally. She was an opportunist and right now Cooler gave her the most opportunities. Not to mention the most money. "Does she have some sort of hidden power we know nothing of?"

Baba clasped her hands together as she sat on her crystal ball. "Not at all. She has the same powers she was born with. I never said they were hidden. I simply said Frieza knows nothing of them. Severely limiting her power as a child tends to have adverse effects when one finally discovers the locked away abilities." Just as she finished talking, her crystal ball came to life.

The overlord watched with captivated eyes as the scene on Bedryf played out through the eyes of Jeice. The destruction Bulma left in her wake was astounding for such a supposedly weak woman. The way she simply tore Jeice apart was astounding. It was all using her mental abilities, too. By the looks of it, Bulma seemed completely unaware of what she was doing. It was as if she was on autopilot. Was this the power Frieza had hidden from her?  _From her? Frieza hid this girl's abilities from everyone. No wonder he keeps her so close. But how did she get them back_? The thoughts ran through Cooler's mind as the scene in the ball faded away.

"They were triggered. I am unsure what the trigger was. Perhaps it was some sort of traumatic event. Perhaps it was something else. I am not very knowledgeable about her race," the old woman said.

Cooler nodded. "You cannot use that thing to find her?" He was surprised to see Baba shake her head. "Why not?"

"I can only see what's happening. I cannot read the minds of those who I see through, though. I cannot discern where they are. That would almost make it too easy, wouldn't it?"

"The great Fortuneteller Baba has a limitation. Color me shocked." Cooler looked away from the old woman as an incoming transmission popped up on his screen. "What do you know? I have a call to take."

* * *

Chichi sat two big bowls on the small table in the kitchen of their ship. Vegeta and Kakarrot asked no questions and immediately dug into their food. Chichi brought Bulma a smaller bowl. Then she returned with the largest bowl. Everyone stopped eating and watched as Chichi dug ravenously into her own bowl.

"How come you get the big bowl?" Kakarrot asked through a mouth full of the creamy porridge-like meal. Chichi glared at him over the top of her bowl but said nothing.

"I'm the damn prince. I should be eating more than the both of you," Vegeta grumbled as he returned to his food. Chichi also glared at him but again said nothing in return. The prince found it strange that Chichi had no witty comeback as she usually did. Ignoring her, he went to grab one of the large biscuits sitting on a platter in the middle of the table. Kakarrot reached for the same big biscuit and Vegeta gave him a death glare. Kakarrot backed off, but Chichi smacked Vegeta's hand away from the biscuit. Kakarrot smiled as she picked it up, but instead of giving it to him, she took a large bite out of it and then continued eating out of her bowl.

"What the hell, Chichi?" he complained. Chichi gave him an icy glare but said nothing.

Bulma chuckled softly as she watched Vegeta and Kakarrot fight over the last of the biscuits. She knew that Saiyans were very stingy with their food, but she'd never seen Chichi so selfish with her food before. She usually let Kakarrot pick off of her plate. Over the last few days on the ship, Chichi had been a little more short-tempered than usual. The only person she spoke to in a non-threatening tone was Bulma.

She stood and went to place her now empty bowl in the kitchen sink. Chichi heard Bulma's gasp and reached out for her arm with lightning quick reflexes. Bulma had already resigned herself to the fall when her body stopped just inches from the ground. Chichi pulled her to her feet and she exhaled. "Thanks," Bulma said.

Chichi nodded and watched Bulma as she swiftly put her bowl in the sink and left the kitchen. She turned back to Kakarrot and Vegeta. "What was that?" she asked as took another bite of her giant biscuit.

"Looked like she just tripped over her feet." Kakarrot sat back in his seat, finished. "You're eating a lot today."

"I am not," Chichi said indignantly. "I just missed dinner last night. I was too tired after fixing up Bulma so I just went to sleep." She finished off her biscuit and stood to gather the rest of the bowls.

* * *

Vegeta left the kitchen and went towards the control room of the ship. He pressed a few buttons on a panel and found their current position. They were nearing the Caldissimus System, an area well out of the PTO's jurisdiction. Not many traveled into the system because it was full of large stars, but barely any planets. The stars made the planets that did exist too hot to be productive. There were a few planets that were cool enough to be habitable, but only cool enough for heat-resistant metals and materials. These planets were mainly mining planets for such metals.

It did not take Vegeta long to realize they were heading for Ardens Alpha, one of the planets with a large colony on it. The colony had been abandoned before the resistance made it their main base. Ardens Alpha was one of the cooler planets, but its parent star was the hottest of the stars in the system: Ardenti. Ardenti was a blue star and very bright.

The prince noticed a blinking light on the panel signaling there was an incoming transmission. He turned on the transmitter and a message popped up. He was told to input the passcode. Sighing, Vegeta pressed a few buttons, waited 3 seconds, pressed another series, waited 2 seconds, pressed another series, waited 10 seconds, and then finished the series. A holographic picture opened in front of Vegeta.

It was a masked woman. "Welcome,  _Blue_. Please place your ship on autopilot. ArCommand will guide you into the planet to make sure you are not drawn into the gravitational pull of Ardenti. Enjoy your stay on Ardens Alpha,  _Blue_." The hologram disappeared. Vegeta stared at the vacant spot for a moment.

 _Am I entering a military base or a vacation resort_? He placed the ship on autopilot and headed back towards the staterooms.

* * *

Bulma sighed and entered the small bathroom connected to the stateroom she shared with Vegeta. She slid the door shut and looked at the shower. It was clearly made for one person. She smiled a little at the thought of Dodoria trying to fit inside such a shower. Just as she was stepping inside the shower, she felt the ship lurch and she nearly hit her head on the metal wall. Soon after, the ship started to move once again.

 _That was weird_ , she mused. Bulma listened for a moment to see if the others were alarmed. Surely one of them would come for her if something was wrong. When she heard nothing, she entered the shower and drew the plastic curtain.

For ten minutes, Bulma stood in the shower, just letting the hot water run on top of her head. "My hair has grown," she whispered as she looked at her soaked tresses. She rarely wore it outside of a braid so she had not really noticed it. At this length, the change in her hair color was becoming quite noticeable. "I wonder why it's changing. I don't remember anyone else having blue hair." Shrugging it off, Bulma finally began to wash herself.

* * *

Kakarrot stretched as the window to the observation deck opened. Ardens Alpha was still at least a day away. It amazed him that the base could control their ship from so far away.

"Staring into space again? You've gotta find another hobby, Kakarrot." Chichi entered the observation deck behind him. "What do you find so interesting in the dark abyss?"

"I don't know," Kakarrot answered with a shrug. "Maybe it's just that there's nothing between these different worlds and stars. I mean, occasionally there will be asteroids or comets but besides that, nothing."

"Well, Ardens Alpha has a big red moon. It probably isn't wise to sit and stare out into the great  _nothing_  like that," Chichi said with a smile. Kakarrot appeared confused for a moment and she sighed. "A red moon doesn't cause a transformation, but it does zap you of your strength. We will most likely not be exposed to it. The days are hundreds of hours long. By the time there is a full moon, we'll be long gone. It will still be mostly dark, though. Though it's a bright star, Ardenti is too far away from Ardens Alpha to make any real impact."

Kakarrot's confused expression did not change. "A red moon? Since when does a moon hurt us?"

Chichi shook her head and knocked on his hard head. "Honestly, Kakarrot. You should pick up a book every now and then. A red moon's blutz waves have a different charge. For reference purposes, if a white moon's blutz waves are positive, a red moon's are negative. Therefore, it has the  _opposite_  effect that a white moon does."

"Should we really be going to this planet?"

"We'll pass the moon on the way there. As long as you don't look at it, you'll be fine. It will still make you feel weaker than usual but not to the extent of looking directly into it."

Kakarrot nodded. He still did not like the sound of this  _red moon_. He wondered if Vegeta knew about it. Then again, the prince would never lead them into danger without being certain that they could come out on top. Speaking of Vegeta... "Hey Cheech. What do you think about Vegeta and Bulma?"

Chichi raised an eyebrow. "I know Vegeta seems to be a bit sweet on her. Other than that, I don't think much of them." Her stomach interrupted their conversation loudly. "Seven hells, I'm starving again. I'm going to find a snack." She turned to leave.

"But we just ate."

"That's rich coming from you, Kakarrot," she threw over her shoulder. Kakarrot shook his head and glanced back out the window. From their position, he could see the star known as Ardenti; a luminous blue star. Though it appeared small from his distance, Kakarrot knew enough about stars to know that a blue star was something you shouldn't fly too close to.

* * *

Bulma was shutting off the water when her legs went weak again. This time, there was nothing to stop her fall. She grabbed at the slick plastic curtain. It managed to slow her fall so that she only landed on her knees. Nevertheless, it still hurt.

"Woman!" Vegeta yelled from outside the door. He was trying to open it, but Bulma had locked it.

"I'm fine, Vegeta. I just slipped." Bulma closed her eyes and pulled herself up into a sitting position. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and looked into the mirror. It shattered. Bulma shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. The noise was enough for Vegeta to pry the door open with his bare hands.

He stood there confused for a moment. Bulma stood with her hands over her eyes and wrapped haphazardly in the plastic curtain. Then he glanced at what used to be a floor-length mirror. "What happened in here?"

Bulma spread her fingers a bit and looked at where the mirror used to be. Nothing else happened. She then looked at Vegeta. "I guess I broke the mirror. I didn't mean to. It just... happened." She began untangling herself from the curtain and looking around for a towel. She accidentally stepped on a piece of glass. " _SHIT_!" she swore loudly. Vegeta stepped to the side as the door he'd already crumpled practically shriveled up like a piece of paper balling up. Bulma looked at the mess she'd made.

"Impressive," Vegeta said derisively as he examined Bulma's handiwork. He reached over and picked Bulma up in a bridal carry. She objected but then that she was surrounded by glass and had nowhere to step. Vegeta deposited her on the double bed. He dropped her on the bed roughly. "Have you lost all control on your powers, woman?"

Bulma examined the cut on her foot. It was very small and not really bleeding, but it still hurt. She would need to at least clean it. She looked up as Vegeta stuck a towel in her face. Taking it, she stood and began to dry herself off. "I don't know what's happened. This has only just started recently. It's like something else is controlling my power. I'm going from nothing to full throttle without even trying."

Vegeta watched as she moved gingerly around the room to get dressed. He was not sure what to make of her predicament. She looked very frustrated. She was moving intentionally slow just in case. From the frown forming on her face, Vegeta could tell she was getting more and more agitated. "Has this ever happened before?" he asked as Bulma began stepping into a bodysuit.

Bulma pulled the suit up and put her arms through the sleeves. "Not that I can remember. I've always been on Frieza's ship."

"As long as you don't tear the ship apart, I'm fine with whatever is going on with you. The others at the base may not be, though. The blonde woman seems wary of you."

She finished pulling her bodysuit up on her. "Wary? Why would she be wary of me? It's not like I could..." Bulma stopped talking and crossed her arms. "Vegeta, what happened on Bedryf? What happened to Jeice? Why can't I remember anything?"

Vegeta thought about omitting the whole truth once again, but he decided just as quickly that she needed to know what she was capable of. He took a deep breath. "I can't tell you exactly what happened on Bedryf because I did not see it. I felt what was about to happen and took cover. When I did come out, you'd cleared a decent amount of area within a certain radius of you. As for Jeice, I honestly don't know what you did with him, but I do know you were wearing his blood and bits of his flesh."

As Bulma listened to Vegeta's recount of the event, she suddenly grew very sick. She sank to the floor and leaned forward on her hands. She was feeling unstable once again and took a few deep breaths. "If I keep blacking out like that, how can I learn to control it?" she whispered.

"What did I tell you about self-preservation, woman? Something was threatening your person. Your subconscious recognized that fear and acted to protect you. Controlling it can come secondary. You need to learn how to access your power like that at will. Right now, you can't do it without some sort of catalyst."

"So you're saying that I need to be in mortal danger to do anything effective?"

"Right now, that seems to be the case."

Bulma held her head up slowly. She glanced around the room for a moment in silence. "Well, I don't think I should practice anything while we're still on the ship..."

Vegeta shook his head. "No, you should. You should learn to focus your power while it's fluctuating like this." He crossed the room and picked up a metal ball. Bulma could see that it was a weight and something that she would likely never be able to carry. Vegeta held it above her head. "Catch."

Her eyes widened. "Vegeta, don't drop that! It'll crush my skull!" Bulma whispered, trying to keep calm.

"Then you had better focus." Vegeta let the ball slip from his fingers. Bulma gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. When the blow never came, she opened her eyes and looked up. The ball was suspended in midair. Bulma stared at it for a moment but then her power simply dissipated. Before it could hit her, Vegeta snatched it out of the air.

Bulma got to her feet and shoved Vegeta. "What the hell was that? You could've killed me with that stupid thing!"

"Calm down, woman. You were never in any danger. Do you really think I would drop a weighted ball on your head if I wasn't sure that I could catch it myself?" Vegeta tossed the ball up in one hand. "My reflexes are far superior to yours."

"Well excuse me for being justifiably frightened. It's not every day someone drops something that probably weighs a ton on my head." Bulma crossed her arms and looked at the ball again. "So what do you want me to do with that?"

Vegeta held the ball out. "Hold it up. Put it in orbit around you. Wherever you go today, keep it in motion around you. Do not let if fall," he said. Bulma nodded and focused on the ball. Vegeta moved his hand away and it stayed suspended in the air. It moved towards Bulma and began circling her as if she was a star and it was a planet. Vegeta nodded as he watched her. "The only way you'll learn control is through repetition. When we get to the base, you will continue these exercises until you can do this second nature."

* * *

Juu raised a mirror to her face. She looked at her hair from different angles. Mai stood behind her with the scissors, waiting for her boss' input. She had cut Juu's blonde hair into a pixie cut. Juu nodded. "This is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, Mai," she said as she sat the mirror down. Mai nodded and helped Juu out of the seat.

The android made her way towards the command center of the base. There, she went to her seat. She looked out over her men and drummed her fingers on the armrest of the chair. It was not long until someone came up to her.

"The incoming ship will be here in less than thirty minutes. Is there anything specific you want done for their arrival, ma'am?"

Juu thought in silence for a moment. "Lead the ship into the E-block docks. Send a welcoming party and have them show our new guests to quarters E-10 to E-20," she replied.

The soldier raised an eyebrow. "The entire floor, ma'am?"

"Yes. I've already had the rooms made up for our new guests. E-10 has been converted into a larger space for training. They are to be given keys and shown how to set the passcodes for the floor. No one is to go to that section without the proper clearance once they arrive. Am I clear?" Juu narrowed her eyes.

The soldier nodded after taking a few notes. "May I ask who is arriving on this ship, ma'am?"

"The only person in the galaxy that has a hope of defeating the PTO."

* * *

Kinomi dove for the beeping scouter and scooped it up before Tarble could get to it. Winking at him, she put it over her right eye and turned it on. "Yes?" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Kinomi, is Tarble with you?" It was Vegeta.

The princess refrained from sighing in relief. She glanced back at Tarble, who she was holding off with one hand. "Yeah. Tarble's around here somewhere. What's up? Is it safe to travel?"

"I'm sending you the coordinates for our current location. Send them to the others and then head this way. Make sure to cloak your pods. The trip should take a few weeks," Vegeta said.

Kinomi nodded. "Right. So call Raditz and the others, tell them where to go, and then meet you there? Got it. By the way, have you seen Chichi and Kakarrot? Raditz couldn't seem to get in touch with them."

"They're with us."

Tarble finally got past Kinomi and snatched the scouter away from her ear. "Us? Who else is with you besides those two?"

"Stop asking questions. Do as your told. Radio silence will be maintained until you are within range of the base. Get going." Vegeta ended the call.

Tarble looked at his twin as he shut the scouter off. "Well, I guess we should get going." He looked at the scouter as it beeped again. He put it on and the coordinates popped up.

"Where are we heading?" Kinomi inquired. She had already began packing things up.

The youngest prince stared at the coordinates, calculating where they were. "It looks like we're heading to the Caldissimus System; the Ardenti planetary system to be exact. That's so far away; completely out of the PTO's borders."

"What could possibly be that far out?" Kinomi watched Tarble tap his chin with his finger. "What are you thinking?"

Tarble crossed his arms. "There are an abundance of nebulae, dying or dead stars, and new stars. There are a few planetary systems. There are red moons, blue giants, and white dwarfs."

"Well I know what red moons do but what about the others?"

"White dwarfs are the dying stars. Eventually they will become black dwarfs. That's not what concerns me. I did some research on Bulma's race. Being in the vicinity of a blue star does things to her powers; something about the radiation. Ardenti is a blue giant."

Kinomi raised an eyebrow. "Good or bad?" Tarble shrugged. "Does Bulma know this?"

"Probably not. She was so young when she was taken and her people killed off that she may not know a lot about her own kind. Blue giants are hard to come by in the PTO's jurisdiction, so I doubt she's ever noticed a change. Even if she did pass one, she had that limiter that probably checked it. Still, all that was said in the report was that blue stars have an effect on the people of Aoi-sei; nothing more."

"Well, this could spell trouble," Kinomi whispered as she went back to packing.

Tarble nodded. "I'll send Vegeta some information before we leave. Hopefully he checks it soon."

* * *

Bulma stood, gazing out the large windshield. They'd entered Ardens Alpha's atmosphere. The side of the large planet they were on was completely black. They were flying through thick, dark clouds. It was good that someone else was guiding their ship in because it was near impossible to see two feet in front of the windshield. There came a break in the clouds and Bulma leaned forward, squinting. In the distance, she could see a group of lights. It was so dark that she could barely make out the silhouette of the structure that they were flying towards.

"It's an arcology," Vegeta said from behind her. Startled, Bulma whirled on Vegeta. The metal ball she was keeping in the air zoomed past her head. Vegeta put a hand up and caught it deftly. "You scare so easily, woman."

"I do not. Just don't sneak up on me." Bulma crossed her arms across her chest. It was then she took note of how Vegeta was dressed: a simple black jumpsuit and a black cloak. "You're not wearing your armor. Don't you think you should put it on?"

Vegeta tossed Bulma her own hooded cloak. "Put it on. We'll be docking in a few minutes."

Bulma did as she was told and looked back out the windshield. "What's an  _arcology_?"

"An artificial ecosystem. Think of it as a colony. Everything is within a closed environment. Even though these people seem to be on our side, never go anywhere alone. I don't trust them and neither should you," Vegeta replied sternly.

She nodded slowly as she continued to stare out of the window. She had shifted her gaze to the whitish object in the sky. "Is that Ardenti?" Bulma asked quietly. The star was small from their distance but it seemed larger than life to Bulma. After a moment, Bulma pulled her gaze away from Ardenti. The ship was entering the dock.

* * *

Zangya stood waiting as the new ship docked in the enclosed hangar. Thankfully, it was in the same condition as when Kakarrot and Chichi took it. That was a good thing; ships were hard to come by without being noticed. She heard shuffling behind her and rolled her eyes. Turning her head, she glared back at the four men behind her. They were pushing and shoving each other while grumbling obscenities. "Can't you four act your age?"

The four men stopped moving and looked ahead of them at their younger sister. The largest (and oldest) one smirked and crossed his arms. "We are acting our ages. It's you who acts like you're an old biddy. When did you become so serious?" Bojack asked.

"When you proved to be too incompetent to lead this squad. Now shut up and act like soldiers." Zangya turned around and crossed her arms. She did not need to look at them to that know her brothers were mimicking her behind her back. "So immature," she whispered to herself.

The door to the ship opened and Kakarrot was the first to step through. He waved happily at Zangya and descended the ramp. "Hey, Zangya! Where's Juu?" he asked.

"She's busy. She sent us to greet you all and show you where you can prop your feet up." She glanced behind him. "Where are the others? I don't want to have to repeat myself."

Kakarrot turned and looked behind him. "Well, Chichi was right behind... There she is!"

Chichi was descending the ramp, looking around cautiously. Kakarrot had a knack for just rushing off without at least scoping out his surroundings first. Luckily, he was strong enough to fend off most surprise attacks. Chichi, however, liked to be prepared. She had simply scanned the immediate vicinity with her scouter before exiting the ship. There were no real threats besides the five that waited below them.  _Clearly masking their ki is a foreign concept_ , she thought.

"Where's Vegeta?" Kakarrot asked.

"He'll be along," Chichi responded. She turned her gaze to Zangya and the others. She recognized Zangya and could only guess that the others were of some relation to her. "A welcoming party?"

Zangya smiled. "Something like that. This is my squad. Unfortunately, they also happen to be my older brothers. That's Bojack, Bido, Kogu, and Bujin. They're complete asshats, but they're quite useful on the battlefield. You know? The strong but stupid type," she said dryly.

"I resent being called an  _asshat_ , Zangya. Besides, we all know I'm the smartest," Bujin, the smallest of the four, said.

" _Intelligence_  does not translate into  _common sense_ , brother," she tossed over her shoulder. She turned her attention back to Kakarrot and Chichi. "Per our orders, you all will be given an entire floor. I am to understand that there are five more of you arriving at a later date."

"Yeah. They should arrive within the next two weeks or so. It all depends on their current locations. I don't think they did too much planet-hopping like we did. Here come the other two."

Zangya narrowed her eyes. "Two?"

Vegeta finally came down the ramp to the hangar floor. Bulma followed a few steps behind him. She appeared to be holding the weighted ball in her hands. Vegeta discreetly scoped out his surroundings. There were several hidden rebels surrounding them. Their ki was of little consequence, but Vegeta had a feeling they held weapons of some sort; most likely limiters.  _You never can be too careful_ , he thought. He set his eyes on the familiar orange-haired woman. He looked at the four behind her with mild interest. They looked more like space pirates than anything.

"Welcome to the Ardens Alpha Ark. We usually just call it the Ark. It is easy to get lost, so make sure you pay attention to everything I say." Zangya turned on her heel and motioned for them to follow her. Her brothers parted and watched the other four follow after her. They fell into step behind them, watching intently.

* * *

The Ark lived up to its name. There were more than just soldiers there. A lot of the people were refugees and escapees from purged civilizations that the PTO feared. Bulma found herself wondering if anyone from Aoi-sei was there, but wrote it off as her people had not yet ventured into space travel before Frieza destroyed their planet. Zangya led them to a less populated sector of the Ark. The floor they ended up on seemed deserted.

Zangya turned and nodded towards Bujin. Bujin reached into his pockets and pulled out 8 cards. He handed them to Vegeta. "These are your passkeys. You'll need to swipe them and put in a numerical code in order to get inside. Set them to whatever code you want. This specific floor is your private quarters. One of the rooms has been converted into a training space. There are ten other living spaces. The main floor of E-block has stores and cafeterias. Any questions?" Zangya looked at the four newcomers.

"Where can we find the blonde woman?" Vegeta asked as he examined the passkey.

"Juu? She resides in B-block, but most of the work we'll be doing is done in A-block. If you use the correct tubes, you should be able to get there in no time."

"That's all." Vegeta stepped past her and opened the door to the floor.

Bulma rolled her eyes at Vegeta's curtness. She faced Zangya and her brothers. "Thanks for showing us around. It was nice meeting you all." She gave them a smile and followed the others into the door.

Bojack scoffed as the door shut behind Bulma. He crossed his arms and Zangya faced him. "Well, he didn't seem all that impressive," he said with a chuckle.

"What the hell were you expecting exactly?" Bido asked.

"I definitely wasn't expecting him to be so damn small. Did he not get enough sleep as a child or something? I thought Saiyans were supposed to be big, intimidating fighters. He looked like a teenager."

Zangya smacked Bojack on the back of his head. "That's because he is a teenager, genius. And please don't let his size fool you. He is one of Frieza's favored for a reason. If the body count he's racked up isn't proof enough, I don't know what is. You should know by now that size and age mean nothing in the universe. All that matters is your own strength." She flounced off past her brothers. They stood watching her for a moment before following.

* * *

While the others explored the living quarters of the floor, Vegeta immediately went into E-10. The space was far larger than he expected. The gravity room could have easily fit inside it. His eyes went along the metal walls until they came to a large object sitting in a corner. He moved towards it and glared down at the panels.

"A gravitron," he whispered. He took another look around the training space. "This is a gravity room."

"I thought you might like that," a disembodied voice said. Vegeta's eyes darted around for the source of the voice. "Calm down, Vegeta. It's just me."

He recognized the voice after that. "Why weren't you the one to greet us? You're the only one I've ever dealt with."

Juu chuckled softly. "You should get to know some of the others anyway. They don't follow blindly and your reputation precedes you greatly. Most of them only know you as a murderer known for committing many acts of genocide."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he continued to examine the room. "I couldn't give two fucks what anyone else thinks about me."

"Yes, but a  _leader_  needs to have followers. If you want their loyalty, you'll at least need to try."

"All they need to know is that if they betray this cause, they will die like all the rest. Anything else?"

Juu remained silent for a moment. She knew where he was coming from. Traitors to their cause would indeed die like the rest. Like Vegeta, she had little patience for incompetence and even less mercy for the treacherous. "What about the girl?"

Vegeta waited a moment before answering. "What about her? She isn't going anywhere."

"Well, do we have to worry about any  _incidents_  like on Bedryf? We can't have her vaporizing parts of the Ark," Juu said. Vegeta was quiet longer than she thought he would be. She began to wonder if he'd left the room. "Vege..."

"The woman losing control of her powers is the least of my concerns. If it happens, then I... we will subdue her." Vegeta had no idea how he would go about doing that short of killing her, but in order to appease Juu he had to say something.

She seemed convinced enough. "Very well. I will speak no more on the matter. However, in two days everyone meets for a progress report. All the squad leaders will be in A-block for the meeting. It would be nice if you could introduce yourself to those who don't know you. After all, for the longest you've just been our mysterious benefactor. No one else knew of your identity except a select few," she said.

"Two days? If that is what you wish, it will be so. I will make an appearance. Just know that I am not looking for their approval nor am I going to be  _amiable_. I'm here to do work, not make friends."

"I would never suggest anything otherwise," Juu said sarcastically. The sarcasm was not lost on Vegeta. He ignored it and simply left the room without another word.

* * *

Bulma sat up. Her room, E-20, was dark. There were a few objects that had fallen over and now littered the floor. Shaking her head, Bulma took a few deep breaths. It was then that she realized that she was burning up. She touched her sweaty skin only to find it cold.  _But I'm so hot_ , she thought. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and got to her feet.  _I need a shower_.

The lavender-haired teenager started the shower and stripped quickly. Before getting inside, she stared at the black tile of the shower. There was only a glass door and no curtain. She found herself wondering if she would experience another fall. Falling through a glass door is definitely more dangerous. Shrugging her fears off, she stepped inside and closed the door.

She stood under the stream of water and let it cool off her body. She'd never had a hot flash that accompanied a cold sweat. It was a terrible feeling. The lukewarm water appeared to do the trick. Stepping out of the stream, Bulma ran a hand through her hair. Something did not feel right. She brought her hand to her face and saw she was holding clumps of her hair. Bulma looked down at her feet. There were bits of lavender-blue hair gathering near the drain. She stepped back and stared at the tiled floor in horror.

Bulma took a deep breath.

* * *

Vegeta was exhausted. After checking out his new quarters, he'd gone back to E-10 to train. He sparred with Kakarrot for about two hours before Chichi's cooking beckoned the younger Saiyan away. Vegeta skipped dinner and realized an hour later that it was a bad idea. However, he continued to train well into the late hours of the  _night_. Now he was dragging his feet towards his quarters after raiding the kitchen.

Just as his right hand pushed the button to open his door, a gut-wrenching scream came from down the hall. Vegeta immediately looked in the direction of the pained wail.  _The woman... Why is her room all the way down there_? Vegeta felt something pull at the back of his mind. Shaking off his discomfort, he heard a few crashes coming from the room at the end of the hall. He began to approach the room.

When he got to the room, it had quieted down significantly. He raised his hand to knock but stopped. A few moments passed and he knocked loudly. "Woman," he called. There was a fumbling noise behind the door. When it slid open to reveal Bulma, Vegeta had to blink twice.

Bulma stood before him wrapped in a towel. She was still soaking wet and looked like she had only thrown the towel on to open the door. Her face was contorted in what appeared to be pain, but Vegeta could see no wounds on her. The only thing that seemed different about her was that her hair seemed thinner than usual, but at the same time it was wet.

"What was all the screaming for, woman?" Vegeta pushed his way past her to check out the room. Her room looked just like his; a large bed, a few chairs, a desk, and a sofa. There was also an armoire and a closet, but Vegeta had little interest in those. As for Bulma's room, it was already a mess. Aside from the mess of sheets, worn clothes, and random decorative objects on the floor, there was nothing that could be considered a threat. "Well? What is the problem?"

There was some whimpering from Bulma. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "My hair," she whispered.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Your hair? Woman, you screamed to high hell because of your hair? I don't see anything wrong..." His voice trailed off as he watched Bulma run a hand through the soaked locks. She held her hand up. A clump of hair was intertwined in her fingers. She raised her free arm up and touched her head again. She came away with more hair.

"It just keeps coming out. Why?" Bulma dropped to her knees. "Why is it falling out?"

"Woman, it's just hair. It'll grow back," Vegeta said. He quickly realized that perhaps that was not the best thing to say.

Bulma raised her head and sent a glare in his direction. " _Just hair_? It's  _just hair_? It's  _ **MY**_  hair, Vegeta!" The lights flickered violently. Vegeta gazed up and then back at Bulma. She was getting to her feet. "What am I supposed to do? Walk around  _bald_?" The final word was accentuated with one of the bulbs above them blowing. Glass fell to the floor between Bulma and Vegeta. She blinked a few times and looked down at what she had done.

"Calm down, woman. It is  _just hair_. It's probably just a side effect of whatever has been bothering you. Once we find out what it is, you'll be able to combat it. For now, quit your whining and..."

"I'm supposed to walk around with bald spots in my head?"

Vegeta uncrossed his arms and stalked to the bathroom. He ignored Bulma's ranting and opened the little cabinet behind the mirror. The cabinet came stocked with all the necessities one might need. He grabbed what he came for and returned to Bulma.

Bulma stopped talking when Vegeta returned carrying a razor and a can of some sort of cream. "Vegeta, what are you doing?" she asked.

The prince slammed the can and razor on the desk. He pulled out the chair and motioned for Bulma to sit down. She shook her head slowly. Narrowing his eyes, Vegeta marched towards her. Before she could protest, Vegeta tossed her over his shoulder and returned to the desk. He put her down lackadaisically and moved behind her.

"Vegeta, you are not shaving my head!"

"Is that so?"

* * *

_More hijackings. It's as if the galaxy is inhabited by no one but filthy thieves and pirates. Of course these disgusting peasants would steal from my supply ships. It figures_ , Frieza thought as he listened to a soldier explain how his ship was raided by a group of masked men dressed in black. The description was very similar to the description of the people who had attacked Ginyu and the others. With his frown deepening, Frieza waved the soldier off.

"Zarbon, how long until she gets here?"

Zarbon cleared his throat and looked at his lord. "About two more weeks, my lord. She is coming from Lord Cooler's newest and now farthest planet."

"Can't that old broad teleport or some such nonsense?"

"I... don't know, my lord."

Frieza grunted and mumbled something under his breath. Then he glared over at Dodoria. "Find out if there are any old, abandoned bases outside of the PTO's territory. This peasant faction has got to have a base somewhere," he said.

Dodoria bowed. "As you wish, my lord." He turned on his heel and left the room.

Zarbon watched Frieza pinch the bridge of his nose. He cleared his throat once again. "My lord, I'm beginning to think you should cut your losses when it comes to the Saiyans and... Bulma," he suggested.

"That is not an option, Zarbon," Frieza responded quickly. "I could deal without the other seven Saiyans, but my plans for Vegeta will come to fruition soon. His little  _vacation_  will only serve to make those plans even more devastating. As for Bulma, I've already told you how valuable she is to my operation. She's even more vital than the old bat Cooler keeps around. So no, unfortunately I cannot  _cut my losses_."

The green-haired soldier nodded forlornly. He still wondered what Frieza's plans for Vegeta and Bulma were. He remembered the way Frieza had almost doted on Vegeta when he was a child. Zarbon had never known anyone to get away with so much disrespect before. The only reason Frieza had ever punished Vegeta was in lieu of punishing the other Saiyans. The prince was damn near unbreakable and he had never bended to Frieza's will. What made Frieza so sure the prince would at this critical time?

* * *

Bulma stood next to Chichi. The two were behind Kakarrot and Vegeta. The four were traveling to A-block to meet with the other squad leaders. According to Juu, they were eager yet wary of meeting the infamous prince. Bulma had not wanted to come, but somehow Chichi had convinced her.  _Perhaps it was the meal she made_ , she thought. She raised her hand absentmindedly.

Chichi took a peek at Bulma through her peripheral vision. The telepath was rubbing her now bald head. Chichi was not surprised that Bulma would have cherished her hair so much. Seeing it fall out in clumps must have been terrifying but having Vegeta shave it all off to speed up the balding process was probably much worse. She'd laid into him about his complete lack of empathy and brutal insensitivity towards Bulma.  _How can I expect Vegeta to be sensitive to anyone? Though I suppose he did do her a favor. Better to be bald than walking around shedding_. Chichi had to resist the urge to touch her own braid. Never again would she take her hair for granted.

"I think these sideways elevators are pretty interesting," Kakarrot said suddenly. His voice breaking the silence caused Bulma to jump a bit. "But, wouldn't they be called something else? An elevator only goes up or down, you know? It elevates. But this goes side to side, back and..."

"Shut up, Kakarrot. You'll give yourself a headache," Vegeta grumbled as the elevator came to a stop. They were finally at A-block. "Let's get this over with," he said as the doors opened. Kakarrot stepped out first and Vegeta followed.

Bulma hesitated but Chichi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. You'll be fine," she said. Bulma nodded and walked forward. Chichi smiled and followed after her.


	17. Precognition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m a day late. I have no excuse except for laziness. Forgive me.

When the Saiyans and Bulma entered the conference room, all heads turned to face them. The room itself resembled a lecture hall. The rows curved around the floor in a semicircle. There was a long table on the lower floor. Juu sat at the table near the middle. There were five other seats and one was vacant. Kakarrot spotted an empty section and motioned for Chichi to follow him. Chichi took Bulma's hand and lead her down the steps. Vegeta caught Bulma's eye and nodded at her. Then he descended the steps leisurely towards the front of the hall.

Juu noticed Bulma immediately. It was hard not to notice her. She was mildly interested in the reason for Bulma's lack of hair, but said nothing. Instead, she turned her gaze to the prince. "Welcome, Vegeta," she said. As expected, there was a collective gasp in the room. No one except a select few knew of the prince's role in the resistance. Even fewer actually knew what the prince looked like. Juu had kept it that way purposely. The android was pretty sure they did not picture such a small, lithe man as the great and powerful Prince Vegeta. His legend was bigger than he was.

As Bulma took a seat beside Chichi, her mental wall broke. All at once, the voices of those in the hall entered her mind and she could hear their hostile thoughts. Clearly the Saiyans did not have a good reputation. Bulma could have figured that one on her own. However, she had never expected there to be so much hate and animosity. Closing her eyes, she built her wall back up mentally and blocked the hatred out.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Yamcha asked as he leaned over to Juu.

"I'm sure you can answer that yourself," Juu whispered without looking at him. She stood and gestured towards the empty seat beside her. "Take a seat, Vegeta."

As the prince was making his way towards his seat, the murmuring began. Finally, someone stood up. "What is the meaning of this, Juu? Why the hell is he here? He's the enemy!"

The blonde woman cut her blue eyes towards the speaker as Vegeta sat down silently. "Who do you think started this resistance? I'm merely the acting commander in his absence. As you probably already know, he has a job that requires his full attention and has been leading from a distance. Where do you think the majority of our intel has come from?"

"But... He's Frieza's lapdog! He's destroyed many of our home worlds! How can he possibly be..."

"Yes, Vegeta works, or  _worked_ , for Frieza. Everyone across the galaxy knows he's one of the most feared individuals. You forget that his home world was personally destroyed by Frieza the same as yours," Juu said.

"That doesn't mean a damn thing! He could be a spy for all we know!"

Vegeta snorted. "Espionage isn't exactly my specialty, but I admit that I'm quite adept at it," he said loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. Silence overtook the room and Vegeta crossed his arms. "If I had wanted to kill any of you, you'd already be dead."

Juu pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "You're not helping, Vegeta," she warned.

"Nothing I say will change their perceptions about me. At least, not at this moment. They can believe whatever they want to believe as long as they do as they're told," Vegeta said.

" _Still not helping, Vegeta_ ," Juu repeated through clenched teeth. Vegeta turned his head and glared at her. "You're supposed to be trying to gain their allegiance, not sabotage it."

"We already had this discussion, woman. Whether they choose to follow me or not is of no concern to me." Vegeta faced the audience once again. "Without me, this whole operation will fall apart. I have been the adhesive holding it together. So you all can sit there and be apprehensive if you like. If I think any one of you is counterproductive to this venture, I will see to it personally that you are dealt with. Any questions?"

Though there were no rebuttals, Bulma could hear the uneasiness and anxiety among the other rebels. They were wary of Vegeta and he had not exactly attempted to put their minds at ease. Their thoughts kept invading her mind no matter how hard she tried to block them out. Their living quarters had been relatively secluded. It had been easier to block out all the noise. Now that she was among more people, she starting to get a headache. It reminded her of the time when she first manifested her powers and she had no control.

"Are you okay, Bulma?" Chichi whispered. The other woman had noticed how Bulma's posture changed her she seemed to sway dizzily in her seat. "You look a little paler than usual."

Bulma turned her head and looked at Chichi.  _Chichi is talking to me. I can't hear her. I can't focus on anything. All this noise is doing my_...

 _ **WOMAN**_!

The telepath blinked and turned her gaze to the front of the hall. Vegeta was glaring at her. How had she heard him? She could not hear him unless they were making direct contact. She narrowed her eyes at him.  _You can hear me_? She waited for a response but did not get one. Vegeta simply made a cutting motion with his hand and looked away from her.

"When can we expect the others, Vegeta?" Juu asked, still trying to diffuse some of the tension. Perhaps moving on to the others would steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Others? There are  _others_?"

Vegeta glared back out at the audience and the murmurs were silenced. "The other five should arrive in no less than ten days. It all depends on where they are coming from."

"And you are certain of their loyalty?" the short, bald one asked. Vegeta had learned he was the one called  _Chrome_ and his real name was Krillyn. The moniker seemed somewhat appropriate given the shininess of his head. "I mean, I know they're your kin and all but..."

"They are loyal only to me. They answer only to me; not Frieza or any of his men and certainly not any of you. If I told them to execute themselves, they would without question," Vegeta replied curtly.

Bulma leaned over to Chichi. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Chichi responded with a nod. "Well, Turles would at least ask  _why_  first and Nappa might ask which way Vegeta would prefer. You know? A self-destructing attack or a clean finger to the head or something of that nature."

The blue-eyed girl raised her eyebrows. "Talk about undying loyalty..."

Chichi smirked. "That's a trait we Saiyans are most proud of."

Vegeta watched Chichi and Bulma whisper to each other. As long as Chichi was keeping her occupied, Bulma's mind could not wander. He'd mentally told Chichi to keep Bulma's attention. He could not afford to let the trouble with Bulma's powers get out. Juu nudging him in the side brought his attention back to the group discussion at the front of the room. They'd gone from talking about Vegeta and his kin to stolen scientific data.

"Our science department has taken a look at several of the plans we've come across. They're mainly for more powerful weapons; nothing we haven't seen before. He was also researching a way to make the Destroyers less of a  _destroyer_  and more of a  _bulldozer_ , so to say..."

"Did you come across anything useful?" Vegeta cut Krillyn off.

Krillyn looked at Juu who nodded. "Well, we did find an interesting set of blueprints. It was unlike any of the others we'd seen before. A few of our engineers decided to build it, but we still have no idea what it does. At first we thought it was an upgraded healing tank, but it didn't have the right specs."

Vegeta stared at the other man blankly for a moment. "You mean to tell me that you built it and still don't know what it does?"

"Well, not exactly. We've figured out that it supposed to be used on someone but it doesn't work on anyone here."

The prince narrowed his eyes. "Show me this machine."

Juu stood up. "This meeting is adjourned. If anyone has any further questions or concerns, I will be in my office today in two hours." She faced Vegeta. "Come on. I'll show you to the science department."

Bulma and Chichi stopped talking when they noticed everyone beginning to file out. "The meeting is over? Where's Vegeta?" They saw him moving towards a door at the head of the room. Juu and the two other men were with him. Kakarrot was too his feet and already moving towards the others as Chichi and Bulma stood. "Well I guess we follow," Bulma said.

As expected, Vegeta saw Kakarrot and the women catch up with him. The one called Krillyn began giving them a small tour of the area they were entering. Apparently, A-block was where most of the important things were located in the arcology. The main control room was located here along with the main hospital. Most of the arcology could be controlled from A-block, but none of the other blocks had that ability. There were more training facilities and more supplies. The main hangars were also located in this part of the arcology.

"The engineering and science divisions are underground in the deepest part of the arcology. It's been the best place to conduct experiments. Plus, the underground caves are the only habitable places on the planet. They're left over from old mining shafts and would make excellent escape routes," Krillyn said.

"Except there's nothing that can maneuver in those small tunnels. We'd have to go on foot," Juu said.

"I'm sure there's something we can find that would fit in those tunnels," Yamcha said as they crowded into an elevator. He pushed a few buttons and the door slid shut.

The descent was swift and smooth until they hit what Vegeta could only assume was the exit of the arcology and the entrance to the caves. The ride down became much bumpier. Predictably, Bulma was the only one who could not keep her balance. She ended up clinging to his arm in order not to fall into the wall of the elevator. Soon, they came to a stop. The door slid open and they were greeted with a cloud of dust.

Krillyn stepped out first. "Don't worry. The dust isn't toxic like most metals are. It dissolves pretty quickly when you breathe it in so you don't have to worry about suffocating on the stuff. Follow me." He led them down the dim hall to a large metal door. After putting in a code on a keypad, the door slid open and revealed the science and engineering department.

Bulma recognized the construction of many of the weapons laid out around them. "It looks like you're trying to improve upon the designs of Frieza's scientists rather than simply recreating them," she said as she looked at a familiar gun. It was the one that she had frequently used in her escapes.

"Everything could use some improvements," Yamcha said with a smile. Bulma smiled nervously in return and went back to looking at the gun. "But that isn't why we brought you all down here. Vegeta wanted to see this newest machine. I'm not even sure Frieza himself has created it yet."

They came to a strange machine that looked like remarkably like a rehabilitation tank. Vegeta noticed as much. "This just looks like a healing tank. What's so..."

"Where did you get that?" Bulma asked. Everyone turned to look at her. She was staring at the machine with wide, frightened eyes. "Why do you have that?"

Juu raised an eyebrow and moved over to Bulma. "You know what this is? What it does?" She received no answer right away. Bulma just remained staring at it with unblinking eyes. Juu snapped in front of Bulma's face. The telepath turned her head to look at Juu. "Do you know what it does, Bulma?"

Bulma nodded and looked back at the machine. "It's a PRA, precognitive resonance amplifier."

"Precognitive? You mean like fortunetelling?" Yamcha asked.

"If that's what you want to call it." Bulma moved around the machine to look at the entirety of it. It was a perfect replica to the one Frieza had. There were a few modifications to it, but she assumed that's how Frieza wanted to  _improve_  upon it. After all, the one he had was no longer useful to him. "This must be the new design," she whispered.

Vegeta could tell Bulma was fading fast. If the subtle static in the room was any indication, her control was slipping as her apparent fear grew. He walked over to her and stood behind her. She seemed to sense his presence and relaxed her stance a bit. "What does it do, woman?"

Bulma clasped her hands together and began wringing them. "It's for me. The way I can tell people are lying goes beyond just being able to read their minds. I can literally see what they've done and what they plan on doing. It's like a scene that plays out before my eyes. But when I was a child I didn't have a great grasp on it. So, Frieza commissioned his scientists to create something that would help  _bring out_  my powers. The result was this thing." She gestured to the PRA.

"How, woman?" The thing looked like a deathtrap to Vegeta. Bulma was frail enough. Putting her in something like that especially as a child could've killed her. Surely Frieza was not so careless with her life back then.

The blue-eyed one cleared her throat and pointed to the tank. "They would put electrodes on my head, give me a breathing mask, and put me in the tank. It would fill up with water. After that, they would send shocks through the electrodes and force me to see. Frieza stopped using it about five years ago..." Bulma's voice trailed off as memories came back to her. "I want to go back upstairs now." She walked away from the machine. Chichi looked at Vegeta. He nodded and Chichi went after Bulma.

Krillyn crossed his arms and looked at the machine again. " _Precognitive resonance amplifier_... She seems terrified of it. It must've been a horrible experience, especially as a child. And here I thought Frieza treated her with some semblance of reverence," he said.

Vegeta glared at the short man. "Frieza treats no one with reverence; just different levels of torture."

"The main question right now is why Frieza stopped using it on her. Frieza does whatever he can to stay ahead. With something that uses Bulma's powers at an amplified level, why would he just stop using it for so long?" Juu wondered aloud.

"Maybe she grew some sort of tolerance to it," Kakarrot said with a shrug. Everyone turned to look at him. "What? Saiyans get stronger as we age. Clearly the same happens with Bulma. She probably outgrew it."

Krillyn laughed. "You might be right there. That still doesn't answer the question of why he waited years to rebuild it, though. She said the last time she was forced to use it was five years ago. It took us two weeks to build this thing."

"We didn't design it, though. Vegeta," Yamcha looked in the prince's direction, "do you think she'd be averse to giving it a test run?"

The prince immediately shook his head. "The last thing she needs right now is more stress on her mind. She's powerful enough without this machine adding to it." Vegeta gave Juu a knowing look. The other woman nodded slightly. "Let's go, Kakarrot."

* * *

Bulma managed to whole ride back upstairs without giving in to her nausea. She even made it back to E-block. The moment she set foot in her bedroom, she was rushing to the bathroom. She emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet and flushed. After rinsing her mouth out, she made her way back to her room and sat down on the bed. She laid back and stared at the ceiling.

* * *

Vegeta thought about checking on Bulma as the door to their wing in E-block opened. He thought better of it and decided to give Bulma a chance to rest her mind. Bothering her would only make the loose control on her powers worse. She needed to gather her concentration back. Instead of going to her room, Vegeta went to his own room. He immediately noticed the blinking red light on his scouter. He put it to his ear and pressed the button.

" _Tarble here. I was doing some reading on Bulma's race. She might be in danger. Ardens Alpha is close to Ardenti, which is a blue star. Blue stars affect the people of Aoi-sei. The report I read was incomplete, but the tone tells me that the effects aren't necessarily safe. Keep an eye on Bulma and make sure she stays as shielded from the star as possible_." Tarble's message ended.

The prince sighed and sat the scouter back on the desk.  _Well that explains why she's been a mess_ , he thought. He took a seat on his bed and entered a meditative state.

* * *

_Bulma opened her eyes. Frieza was looking at her disapprovingly. "I'm sorry. I can try again. I just need a little more time to concentrate," she said._

_"I don't have all day for you to concentrate, Bulma. You should know what I want by now," Frieza responded plainly._

_The lavender-haired preteen nodded. "I know. Please let me try again. I... I know I can do it without the machine. Just let me try again."_

_Frieza tapped his finger against his chair. "I swear I spoil you, Bulma. You may try one more time. If it doesn't work, you'll be using the PRA."_

_Bulma nodded. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. She opened them again and stared out at seemingly nothing. In reality, she was watching small images play before her mind. But she could not understand them. They were blurry and fading with each passing moment. She could not sustain them for long. Pretty soon, they fizzled out altogether. Blinking out of her stupor, she noticed that she had been wringing her hands together. Frieza was looking at her disdainfully._

_"You leave me no choice, Bulma."_

_She shook her head. Two of Frieza's scientists began approaching her. "No. Please don't, Frieza. I can't do it anymore. I'll practice more. Let me practice more," she pleaded. She knew it was futile. Frieza had already made up his mind. Bulma's bottom lip quivered but she held back her tears._

_"Get on with it," Frieza said. He turned his chair around and left the room for the observation room._

_Bulma found herself stripped and standing in the dark tank. Electrodes were taped all over her head and chest. An oxygen mask was over her face. She glanced up as the top of the tank shut, leaving her in darkness. She could see nothing around her, but she could hear when the tank started up. First the ice cold water came. Bulma did not know why, but every time this happened she thought she would drown. The water felt like knives stabbing her as it rose. Soon, she was completely submerged and floating on her toes._

_When the shocks started, she began screaming. They came in waves. The water did not help. The shocks traveled throughout her body, leaving her rigid and still screaming. One long shock forced her eyes open and she went completely still._

_The images came. She was powerless to stop them. Bulma became numb to the pain, but she was still aware of what was happening. It felt as if someone was forcing themselves into her mind, knocking down every barrier she'd placed. She felt a burning behind her eyes. The burning spread to her face and down to her limbs. The pain returned and so did her screaming. It was too much. She could not take it anymore. The pain was too great. It was tearing her mind apart. Then everything went dark._

* * *

Bulma sat up and clung to the first thing she saw. She heard multiple objects drop to the floor. She squeezed the cloth beneath her fingers and exhaled slowly. The tension in her body relaxed little by little until she was limp. She was still shaking, though. "I think I destroyed it," she whispered.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He was sure she was remembering something; just like her nightmare had clearly been another memory long forgotten. Bulma's breathing was still ragged even though her trembling had almost completely subsided.

"The last time Frieza used it, I think I destroyed it. It hurt so much and I couldn't take it anymore. I just let go..." She dug her nails into his training suit as the painful memory resurfaced. "I don't remember what happened after that. I just remember being told that I slept for a whole week."

The prince grunted and continued to allow her the comfort of his body. He did not embrace her back, but she seemed fine with him just being there. Vegeta waited a moment before he spoke again. "I know why you're having trouble with your control," he said.

Bulma loosened her grip on Vegeta and sat back to look him in the face. "Why?"

"Ardenti." The look on her face let Vegeta know that Bulma did not follow. "Ardenti is a blue star. Blue stars have an effect on your people, much like moons have an effect on Saiyans. Like a white moon, it appears that a blue star augments your abilities. As stated before, you will have to learn to control them better."

"Control? I swear if I hear that word one more time I might go crazy. I'm controlling it the best that I fucking can." Bulma scooted away from Vegeta so that her back was against the headboard of the bed. She took a look around her room. The floor was littered with objects that she could only guess had been moved by her nightmare. "They want me to try and use the one here, don't they?"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Yes, but I don't see what that would accomplish besides scaring you shitless. You said it amplifies your powers. With your powers already fluctuating, having something amplify it would probably cause more problems than it solves," he answered.

Bulma hummed to herself and looked back at Vegeta. He appeared to be lost in thought. "I think it might help," she said quietly. When Vegeta turned his gaze to her she glanced away again. "I mean, I think if I focused while inside of the PRA, I could control it. Back then, I had no idea how to use my powers at will. Now that I can, I think I could control it better while inside the PRA."

"Woman, that logic doesn't make sense."

"It sounded better in my head." Bulma bit her bottom lip. She stood from the bed. "I'm going to get a shower. Those dreams always leave me feeling dirty." She leaned down and pecked Vegeta on the cheek as she passed. His eyes widened a bit at the contact but he did not flinch away from her touch. Instead, he watched her walk off into the bathroom.

Vegeta sat there for a moment, listening to the sounds coming from the bathroom. He closed his eyes and sighed. Then he got to his feet and made his way to the bathroom.

Bulma raised a hand to her head. She was still unused to nothing being there. However, as she rubbed her hand over the crown of her head, she could feel that her hair was already quickly growing back.  _Which begs the question of why it was falling out in the first place_ , she thought with a frown. She heard the shower door open and with it came a small gust of cold air into the square cubicle. Bulma turned her head, prepared to fight off the intruder.

"Vegeta, what are..." She was hushed by Vegeta pressing her against the wall and kissing her. Bulma placed her hands on his chest, feeling the tight fabric still there. He'd gotten into the shower with her still fully-clothed. Bulma broke the kiss and started tugging on his shirt. In lieu of pulling it over his head, Vegeta simply tore the fabric and peeled the bodysuit off. "You didn't have to..."

"Shut up, woman," Vegeta whispered before claiming her lips again. Bulma wrapped her arms around his neck and he hoisted her up. She took hold of his hair while locking her legs around his waist.

There was most definitely not enough room in the small shower stall for what Vegeta wanted to do. He freed a hand and slid the shower door open again. Bulma gasped when the much cooler air hit her. Suddenly she was sitting on the counter with her back pushed against the mirror. Vegeta’s lips left hers and he dragged his teeth down her neck.

“I can’t help feeling this would be... different if I had hair,” Bulma said with a chuckle.

“Hair would get in my way.” Vegeta lightly bit her neck. “You worry about the wrong things, woman. Often at the wrong times.” He pulled her forward so that her middle was against his hardness.

Bulma tensed slightly at the feeling. Vegeta raised his head to look at her. He was wordlessly asking her permission. Bulma tightened her legs around him and pressed her body against him. Taking this as her acquiescence, he picked her up again and turned towards the bedroom.

* * *

Kakarrot took a punch to the face. Shocked that she had finally managed to pierce Kakarrot's defense, Chichi let up on her attack. The two were in E-10 training. Kakarrot had just felt a significant spike in Vegeta's ki. Ever since Vegeta's bizarre power-up on that deserted planet, he'd been keeping tabs just to make sure the prince did not overdo it again. Vegeta had a habit of disregarding his own health. The current spike was not dangerous; it was just odd.

"Why'd you stop?" Chichi asked. She watched Kakarrot's frown soften and he smiled at her. "Did I miss something?"

"Nope." Something else came to his attention. He stepped up closer to Chichi. She watched him warily, but held still when she realized what he was doing. "You smell funny."

Chichi raised an eyebrow. "Is that your way of telling me I stink? I probably smell like sweat and blood. We have been sparring for the better part of an hour."

Kakarrot shook his head, getting closer to her. "No, it isn't that. You just smell really... really, really good. It's different, but it's nice."

"Enough scenting me, Kakarrot. I already find that particular practice of our race creepy. No need to exacerbate it." She tried to walk around him but he caught her around the waist. "Kakarrot, what are you doing? I'm sure I don't smell any different than I usually do. Scents don't just change overnight. Perhaps this is just the first time you've actually paid attention."

The taller Saiyan shook his head. "I've committed everyone's scent to memory just in case anything ever happens. Your scent is definitely different."

The raven rolled her eyes.  _Nonsense. A scent changes in death and even then it's a subtle change that just signifies that the person is dead. The only other scent changes are_... Chichi's eyes widened. She pushed herself away from Kakarrot and faced him. He seemed confused by her actions. Biting her lip, Chichi turned and rushed from the room.

Kakarrot stood there dumbfounded. After standing there for a moment, he sat down cross-legged and folded his arms. Had he offended Chichi by talking about her scent? He had not meant anything by it. If anything, she smelled better than she had before. Truthfully, he never liked sparring with Chichi. He could barely think about raising a hand to her. But, she'd insisted and Vegeta was currently occupied. Plus, it was a reason to get close enough to her to scent her.

 _Since no one else is here, I guess the only thing I can do is meditate_ , he thought, closing his eyes and exhaling.

* * *

"You took your sweet time getting here, old woman."

Baba simply smiled as she floated on her crystal ball into the observation deck of one of Frieza's flagships. The overlord was staring out into the emptiness of space. "I didn't know time was of the essence, Frieza. You sent for me, so tell me what it is you require," she said. Baba already knew the answer. She just wanted to toy with Frieza.

Frieza turned his head slowly and glared at the old woman. "Find Vegeta," he stated.

"You know I can't just find whomever I want, Frieza. I can search for a few leads, though. It will take me some time."

"How much time?" Frieza was growing impatient. He was trying his hardest to quell some of his irritation. Killing Baba would only set him back. In addition to that, such an action would not go over well with Cooler at all.

"However long it takes, Frieza. You can't rush things like this. But don't worry. You'll have your precious Saiyan back. I assume you want the girl as well."

Frieza waved his hand. "Wherever Vegeta is she is sure to be."

Baba nodded. "I see. I suppose I will get to work. Time is of the essence, I believe." Baba smiled again and left the room as quickly as she came.

* * *

Bulma rolled over and looked at Vegeta. He was lying on his back with his eyes closed. Bulma held her head up with her hand and looked over his face. She could tell he was not asleep by his frown, but he was refusing to look at her. Instead, she felt his tail wrap protectively around her thigh. "Don't you think we should probably get on the bed?" she asked quietly.

"If you hadn't pulled so hard on my hair, we probably would've made it to the bed, woman. Do not blame your choice on me," Vegeta grumbled.

"I'm not blaming anyone, Vegeta. And it wasn't a choice. It just... happened." Bulma glanced down at the furry appendage wrapped around her leg. She so often forgot that Vegeta even had a tail. He kept it wrapped protectively around his waist at all times. "What does  _fanksh_  mean? Did I say it right?"

Vegeta opened his eyes. He was surprised at Bulma's accurate pronunciation of the word. "Your accent was atrocious, but you said it right for the most part. I believe the correct translation to Standard is  _fuck_."

"Oh. Is that your native language?"

"Hn."

Bulma sat up. "This floor is uncomfortable. I'm getting in the bed." She started to stand, but Vegeta's tail tightened around her thigh. She reached down and stroked the soft appendage until it loosened. She heard Vegeta mumble something that she assumed was another curse in his native tongue. Smiling, she made her way to her feet. There was a loose-fitting shirt that was too big thrown haphazardly over a chair not far from Bulma. She scooped it up and put it on before climbing on the bed. She could see Vegeta had still not moved. "Aren't you going to join me, Vegeta? I know how much you love lying next to me."

Vegeta snorted. "Yes, woman. I love having you bask in my body heat and drool on my chest. It gets me even more aroused than the prospect of a good fight." His sarcasm was not lost on Bulma. He heard her huff and lay down. After a few moments, he heard her soft, barely audible snoring and got to his feet. His own clothes were still in a torn pile in the bathroom.

 _Next time I'll remember not to be so hasty in discarding my clothing_ , he thought as he found a towel to wrap around his waist. He moved towards the door and opened it. Before stepping out into the hallway, he glanced back at Bulma. She was hugging the pillow and snoring. Vegeta could make out the faint blue of her hair starting to grow back in.  _If it's growing back so quickly, why did it fall out to begin with_?

* * *

The next day, Bulma stood in front of the PRA. She'd told the engineers about the tank's workings and they'd quickly modified it to suit her needs. Juu was very apprehensive about letting Bulma use it. Bulma had come to A-block without any of the Saiyans. It was odd seeing her without a Saiyan tagging along.

"So are you sure you want to do this, Bulma?" Juu asked.

Bulma nodded, still looking at the darkened tank. Electrodes had already been placed on her. She was wearing as little as possible; anything more than a bandeau and short shorts would be too much. "If my powers get out of control, shut the machine off immediately. Do not hesitate."

"And shutting it off will have no ill effects on you?" Juu watched Bulma climb up the tank to the opening. The blue-eyed telepath faced her. "You are not sure what will happen?"

"This machine isn't made to kill someone like me." Bulma dropped down inside the tank. It was every bit as claustrophobic as she remembered it being. It was a little larger than Frieza's tank, but it was by no means enough space for Bulma to sit down in. An oxygen mask was sitting on the bottom of the tank. Bulma put it on as the engineers sealed the tank shut.

* * *

For a moment, all Bulma could do was stare in the darkness as the darkened glass of the tank. She flinched as she felt the water begin to fill the tank. She could not see, but it was rising fast and in seconds she was floating in the water. Then the shocks started to come. Bulma bit down on her lip to keep from screaming into the mask. The shocks became stronger and she felt her control slipping.

 _Control it, Bulma. Use the power. Don't let it use you_ , Bulma chanted in her mind. She mentally took back the reins and opened her eyes. Suddenly, she felt light. She opened her eyes and did not see the darkness of the tank. Instead, she was greeted with the dimly lit area of one of Frieza's bases. She recognized the area as one of the science labs. A door opened and two scientists came in. Bulma stepped further into the shadows to remain hidden, but realized that this was all a vision.  _They can't see or hear me anyway_.

"Lord Frieza said to activate it and to send the signal to these coordinates." One of the scientists pulled up a holographic image. Bulma got closer behind them. She leaned forward to see the image better.

"To a remote region like that? There's nothing there but abandoned mine shafts."

A deep sigh. "Listen. I don't make the orders. Lord Frieza said to send the activation signal here so that's where we're sending it."

Bulma followed them over to a table but the vision began to morph into something different. Soon, she found herself standing on the surface of Ardens Alpha. An explosion made her jump. Whirling around, she saw the arcology on fire. It looked as though it had been attacked. Bulma began running towards it, dodging falling debris from smaller explosions. The scene began to morph again and she came to a stop.

She was inside the arcology. She recognized it as the E-block hangar. It seemed to be relatively spared from destruction of the rest of the arcology. However, only one ship remained. Bulma recalled it being the ship she'd arrived on. The gate was open and the engine was already running. Someone was already on the inside. Bulma started to go see who was aboard when she heard shouting behind her.

"We can't just leave him!" It was Kinomi.

"We can and we will. We have to, Kinomi. We can't get through to him like this." It was Chichi.

Kinomi shook off Chichi and stopped walking. "But how did he get like this? One minute he's training normally and the next he's gone on a rampage. This doesn't make sense! What happened to him?" she yelled. Before Chichi could answer, another explosion rocked the hangar.

"We need to leave now." Chichi faced the ship and began approaching it again. Bulma took a few steps forward to get a better look at her, but the scene began to morph again.

 _Well at least I know Kinomi makes it to Ardens Alpha in one piece_ , she thought.

The next setting was unfamiliar to Bulma. It was a planet with a green sky and two suns. The landscape was a cross between grassy plains, plateaus, and bodies of water between them. Bulma heard screaming and turned around. A village was burning. She saw someone skid across the dirt into the side of one of the huts. This time the scene started to fade. Bulma moved forward, desperately trying to see what was happening. She inhaled sharply has a sharp pain shot through her chest. She fell to her knees, breathing hard.

 _What was that_? Bulma looked up. Someone was approaching the fallen figure. They were dressed in all black. Bulma got to her feet and ran forward, trying to see. The scene got darker and darker. Before long, she began choking. She felt as if she was drowning. The pain in her chest grew before exploding up to her head. The drowning feeling muffled her cry for help.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

Juu was in the process of forcibly unscrewing the lid of the PRA off when Vegeta practically broke the doors of the lab down. Her eyes barely managed to track him as he roughly knocked her from the tank. Vegeta took hold of the lid of the PRA's tank and ripped it off. He tossed the metal lid away and reached into the water. He lifted Bulma out of the tank effortlessly. He lowered them to the floor and laid Bulma out flat. The oxygen mask on her face was red with blood. Vegeta ripped it from her face. The blood appeared to have come from both her mouth and her nose.

"We tried to get her out sooner. Her vitals started going crazy but she was resisting the exit strategy. It was almost like she wanted to stay inside. The only way to pull her out was to cut the power. Is she breathing?" Juu looked down at Bulma. She had been surprised by Vegeta's actions. How had he even known Bulma was in trouble? How had he gotten there so fast?

Vegeta realized Bulma was not breathing. He put his head to her chest. Her heart was not beating. Ignoring Juu's questions from behind him, he placed his hand over Bulma's chest and jumped her heart. He did it twice more before he got a reaction. Bulma began coughing, clearing her lungs of the blood that had suffocated her. Her eyes fluttered open momentarily and she saw Vegeta. She gave him a faint smile before slipping off into unconsciousness.

"Is she..."

"She's just unconscious." Vegeta scooped Bulma up and got to his feet. He turned his angry glare to Juu. "What the hell happened here? Why did you put her in that thing?"

The android blinked a few times. "She came to me of her own volition, Vegeta. Did she not inform you of her intentions?"

Vegeta frowned and looked at the unconscious woman in his arms. "Her power is unstable. She should never have been put in that thing. She could destroy this place if things got out of hand. She doesn't need anything  _amplifying_  her abilities while we are so close to a blue star." He studied her relaxed features. Vegeta could say there was one thing Bulma would be happy about when she woke up.

She was no longer bald.

* * *

Baba smirked as the image faded in her crystal ball. The old woman intertwined her short fingers.  _Found you_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Faked y’all out, didn’t I? But don’t worry. You’ll get what you want... eventually. *insert evil laugh*


	18. The Uncertain Future

Baba stared out into space on her crystal ball. She was literally sitting on very valuable information. The old woman was deciding on what to do with her newfound information. Frieza had asked her to attempt to find Vegeta. Where he was, Bulma was sure to be. The fortuneteller had found Bulma, which only meant that Vegeta was nearby. Something confused Baba, though.

"That girl... How did she cross into my realm of capabilities? Her people should not be capable of foresight," she thought aloud. "But it would explain how she can know what a person has done or is going to do. The girl has hidden her precognitive abilities from Frieza." Baba chuckled to herself.

 _Yes. This information is very valuable indeed. I will tell Frieza where the girl is... for a price. But, I shall keep her true abilities to myself. Let's see if she can see what Frieza will do_...

* * *

Bulma's eyes fluttered open. Her body felt heavy. It took her vision a moment to adjust, but she immediately recognized the plain ceiling of her room in E-block. Sighing, she tried to move her arms. It took some effort, but she managed to push herself up to a sitting position.

"It's about time you woke up."

The voice took Bulma by surprise. She looked around the room and saw the speaker sitting in a chair, smirking in her direction. "Kinomi? When did you get here?" Bulma remembered how long Vegeta said it would take the twins to arrive. "A better question is probably how long have I been out?"

"About eight days is what I've heard. Tarble and I got here two days ago." Kinomi stood up and made her way over to Bulma's bed. She sat down beside the older girl, willing her to move over. Bulma did so and they leaned against the headboard together. After a few moments of silence, Kinomi spoke. "Vegeta is pissed with you."

"I already know," Bulma stated. "But that was a chance I was willing to take. He'll get over it. He always does."

Kinomi shrugged. "I don't know, Blue. When we got here, he was holed up in the training room. He hasn't stopped beating on the guys since they got here. He allows them breaks only because Chichi has threatened to have the power cut to the room so he can't train in gravity. Tarble came out of there yesterday and he was so bruised up... Where are you going?"

Bulma had made it to her feet. She stumbled for a moment, feeling the heaviness in her body again. She quickly shook it off and straightened up. "Your brother is acting like a spoiled child. He can't just beat everyone up when they haven't done anything to him." She faced Kinomi and moved some of her lavender-silver hair out from obscuring her vision. Bulma blinked. Then she rushed to the bathroom.

The small princess stood up and went to the bathroom. Bulma was staring at herself with her mouth hanging open. "Something wrong, Blue? I like this new color, by the way. It makes you look... sidereal," she said with a chuckle.

The lavender-haired one continued to stare in silence. The last time she'd looked at herself, her head was covered in blue fuzz. Now it had grown out to at least her mid-back. It was very wavy and the color was back to being lavender but this time with a hint of silver. Her roots held a faint light blue tint like before.  _This whole hair thing is getting weird. I need to find out why it does this. But first_...

Kinomi watched as Bulma remained silent. She pushed her way past the warrior princess and stalked to the door. Kinomi smirked and followed after Bulma. This next scene would definitely prove to be interesting.

* * *

Bulma marched up to the door to E-10. She raised her right arm to knock on the door, but jumped when something knocked into the door from the other side. A few seconds later, there were more loud sounds. She stood staring at it with her arm raised and eyes wide.  _What exactly is going on in there_?

"I told Vegeta to... Bulma! I didn't know you were awake!" Chichi had come around the corner from the kitchen. "Were you going in there?" she asked as something else fell into the door.

Bulma renewed her stance and knocked on the door loudly. "Vegeta! Open this door now!"

Vegeta had already known Bulma was awake. He could not explain how he knew. He just  _knew_. He knew _everything_ pertaining to that woman. He hovered in midair, glaring down at his fallen comrades. Sure, he had been a little hard on them lately. In the end, it would only make them stronger. It always did. The prince turned his gaze to the closed metal door. "Go away, woman!" he yelled back at her.

"Don't make me have to open this door myself, Vegeta!" Bulma banged on the door some more.

"I said  _ **GO AWAY**_!"

Bulma's frown deepened. Vegeta's words had a certain finality behind them. However, she was not about to let him scream at her without repercussions. "I don't know who you think you're talking to," she placed her right hand flat on the door, "but I will not be dismissed!"

Vegeta had only a moment to breathe before he was sucked to the ground. He hit the metal floor with a thud. He could hear Kakarrot, Turles, and Raditz moan in agony from their positions on the floor. Vegeta slowly and painfully raised his head to look at the gravity simulator's panel. Somehow it had gone up to 800g. Vegeta had only been training at 600g, but the gravity had been at 350g to accommodate the others.

The telepath smirked and removed her hand from the door. She waited a few seconds and the door swung open to reveal a very, very angry Saiyan prince. He glared at her menacingly before stepping to the side. Kakarrot and the others filed out, holding various aching parts of their bodies. Chichi and Kinomi walked ahead of them to ready the infirmary. Once they were gone, Vegeta grabbed Bulma by the wrist and pulled her inside E-10.

Bulma glanced around the large training space. She had not ever been inside and she could not believe how large it was. The ceiling was high and domed-shaped, giving the room a rather airy feeling. She turned around to look at Vegeta when she heard the door slam. He was leaning against the door, staring at her. Suddenly nervous under his gaze, Bulma pulled her hair over her right shoulder and began to braid it.

"Leave it," Vegeta grumbled from his end of the room. Bulma stopped braiding and let her hair fall naturally. "What do you want, woman?"

"Kinomi tells me you've been acting like a spoiled brat." Bulma crossed her arms. "What the hell is your problem?"

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "You're my fucking problem, woman! Do you have no sense of self-preservation at all? You put everyone on this fucking colony in danger! And what's worse is that you could've died in that thing!"

"Aw shucks, Vegeta. I didn't know you cared," Bulma replied dryly. She could see her sarcasm was unappreciated when Vegeta turned away from her and stalked over to a pile of towels. He picked one up and began wiping himself down. "Vegeta..."

"Don't speak, woman," he snapped. They stood in silence for a few more seconds before Vegeta sat down on the floor noisily. He began removing his boots. Then he sat cross-legged and folded his arms tightly. He held his head down and his eyes closed.

 _He's such a baby_ , Bulma thought exasperatedly. She slowly began to approach him. She took note of his tail moving about in an angry manner.  _A really, really big baby_.

"So... Why didn't you want me to braid my hair?"

"You just got it back. Are you sure you want to manipulate it right now? We wouldn't want it falling out again." Vegeta did not look up at her, but he could hear her soft footsteps. "You shouldn't be walking around barefoot, woman."

"So says the man who just took off his boots."

"I am not as susceptible to sickness as you are."

"Spare me, Vegeta." Bulma stopped directly in front of him and sat down with her knees drawn up. She waited for Vegeta to look at her, but he kept his head down and his eyes shut. "I hadn't used my precognitive abilities in years. I just read minds. Usually people think about what they're trying to hide when asked about it. Precognition isn't something I can just pull out of my ass at random. I remember hearing as a child that it is taboo to know the future."

Vegeta snorted. "What's the point of having such an ability if one cannot use it? Your people were too modest."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Perhaps they were. But there's a flaw in precognition, Vegeta. It's a very crucial flaw; one that I never bothered to tell Frieza about." She mentally smirked when Vegeta finally looked up at her. "After sessions in the PRA, I would see the visions for days afterwards. They were never the same as what Frieza saw through the machine, though. It took me a while, but I finally figured out what I was seeing."

The prince knew where Bulma was heading with this explanation. "You were seeing the different ways in which a scenario could end," he said quietly. Bulma nodded. "Do you ever know which one is the true outcome?"

"No. Maybe the first way I see it is the way it would've happened. But then, Frieza took steps to keep it from happening. Each step he took changed the outcome in some way. Or maybe it's just a random thing. An event may not even end in any way I see it. I did see something in the PRA here, though. I saw Frieza's scientists, Kinomi and Chichi, and a place I've never been. I've never seen three different events at once."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. What she said was interesting. "I think all of those events were related somehow."

"Even the destruction of this arcology?" Bulma whispered. Vegeta's expression darkened. Bulma cleared her throat. "Chichi and Kinomi were trying to escape from something or someone by the ship we traveled here in. The arcology was in flames. Kinomi didn't want to leave but Chichi said they needed to leave. Then the scene morphed into one on some sunny planet I've never been to. I saw a burning village and I think I saw the attacker, but then everything went dark. I vaguely remember seeing you and then nothing else. Where did you come from anyway?"

The prince frowned again and looked away. "I pulled you out of that deathtrap. You'd stopped breathing and your heart had stopped pumping. You were essentially dead."

Bulma leaned forward and turned Vegeta's head to look at her. "Thanks for saving me." Something dawned on her. "How did you know I was in trouble? I couldn't have been in that machine for more than five minutes."

"The blonde woman told me you'd been in there for about an hour. Clearly time flows different for you inside that thing. Can you explain this?" Vegeta touched her hair. The strands slipped through his fingers. Her hair seemed bushier than before as well as longer. "When I pulled you from that thing it was like this."

"Your guess is as good as mine. " She noticed that Vegeta had not answered her question, but she said nothing. "I wish I knew more about my race..."

Vegeta nodded. "Tarble seems to have found archived information on your people. Ask him about it," he said. Bulma nodded. She started to stand up. Vegeta's tail suddenly took hold of her arm and pulled her closer to him. Bulma's eyes widened at the sudden movement. Their noses were touching. "If you ever do something like that again, I swear I will let you die."

They were touching and Bulma could hear his thoughts. The last thing he would do was ever let her die. She simply smiled at him and nodded. "Understood."

* * *

Eighteen looked up from her desk as the door to her office opened. In stepped Krillyn. She took a look at the clock next to her. "It's nowhere near dinnertime. Why the unexpected visit?"

Krillyn took a seat in the chair across from her desk. Even after 5 years of traveling space with her, Krillyn still got nervous around the powerful android. It probably had something to do with how beautiful he found her. Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, he sat up straight in the chair. "We'll be getting a steady stream of resources in the next two months. Yamcha's network..."

Juu rolled her eyes. "You mean Yamcha's band of thieves."

"That they are, but they are useful," Krillyn said. He earned a small smile from Juu. "Well, the  _band of thieves_  has been looking into shipments of weapons and such. We need those types of things. Not everyone can fight with ki like we can. It's the same way with Frieza."

Juu nodded. "Have you all found anything that could counter ki limiters? Those things are scary efficient. We can't have our strongest allies sidelined for fear of being hit with those limiters. Though we have our own, Frieza has them as well."

"What about you?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? What about me?"

"Do the limiters affect you and Seventeen?"

The blonde android appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure. Our ki is unlimited. At best, all it would do is slow us down momentarily. At worst, it could cut deactivate our ki completely. Tarble told me it took his sister weeks to recover completely and then she had to learn control of her ki all over again."

Krillyn appeared confused. "I've been hit with one," Juu gave him a look, "accidentally. It took me a few days. Why did it take the Saiyan so long?"

"Who knows? Metabolism might have something to do with it. You'd have to look up the Saiyan physiology and how ki works for them. They might be similar to humans, but their bodies are still  _super_ human." Juu checked the clock. "When do you expect the first shipment?"

"If there are no delays or problems, we should get at least three shipments over the course of the next week."

"Then we'll need to be prepared for those shipments. For the time being, store them in D-block."

* * *

Dinner was strangely quiet. It appeared as though Chichi had made more food than usual for everyone. Bulma kept glancing between all of the Saiyans. All of them except the ladies and Vegeta wore bandages of some type on their bodies. They seemed far more engrossed with their meal than usual.  _I wonder why they're so quiet_.

"They're all hurt," Kinomi said as if she read Bulma's thoughts. Bulma looked over at her. "Eating helps them heal faster. Their injuries from training aren't severe enough for a trip to a tank; just a few scrapes and broken bones."

"I would think a broken bone warrants a trip to a tank. That isn't something that heals overnight," she said.

Raditz snorted, finally looking up from his meal. "Of course it does! A broken bone is nothing!"

"It takes me at least six weeks to completely heal from a broken bone."

"It takes a Saiyan around twelve hours," Kinomi said proudly. "Just think of all this eating like recharging our batteries. Besides, it can't be healthy to use a healing tank so often."

The meal fell silent again until Chichi placed her fork on her plate. For a moment, no one noticed that she had stopped eating. She sat between Turles and Kakarrot. The twins noticed the unfinished food on Chichi's plate then glared at one another. Practically feeling the oncoming argument, Chichi sighed loudly. She gained the attention of everyone at the table.

"I have something to announce," she said steadily. The sounds of eating ceased as everyone looked in Chichi's direction. She took another deep breath. "I'm... pregnant."

Kakarrot still had food hanging out of his mouth as he stared in shock at Chichi. When he thought about it, that would explain her scent change. It would also explain why she wouldn't let him touch her in the past few weeks, much to his chagrin.  _Why didn't she tell me sooner_?

Predictably, Turles was the first to break the silence. "All right, Kakarrot!" he said loudly. Kakarrot slurped the rest of his food into his mouth and managed a small smile at his twin. "So when can we expect the runt?"

Bulma watched as the Saiyans started talking animatedly about the new addition that would be arriving in 7 months. "You've known for two months?" she asked Chichi. The men were still congratulating and teasing Kakarrot.

"At first I wasn't sure. I thought I was just sick. Then Kakarrot mentioned my scent change and scent only changes on one of two occasions: death and pregnancy. He said I smelled," her face grew red, " _really, really good_."

"Sounds like something Kakarrot would say," Vegeta mumbled. Up until then he'd been completely silent.

Bulma smiled and continued to listen to the group gush over the news. It was strange seeing them all so happy.  _I guess I can understand. This will be the first new Saiyan since their planet's destruction. I'd be ecstatic if it was me, too_ , she thought. Her elated smile faded into a rather melancholy one as she thought that there would be no new babies of her own people. She glanced down at her plate.

Vegeta finished his meal and rose from the table, startling everyone. "Training will resume tomorrow morning. No exceptions," he looked at Chichi, "excluding you."

"Vegeta, I'm only three months at the most," Chichi said.

"Saiyan women can battle at least until they're six months, Vegeta," Nappa piped up.

"I said no. That's final." Vegeta turned on his heel and left the room.

Everyone sat in silence, thoroughly confused at the elder prince's concern for Chichi. He had never been one to let anyone skip a training session for any reason. He actually found it admirable when his subordinates dragged themselves to training sporting severe injuries. Vegeta was notorious for training through injuries, and his injuries usually came from Frieza.

"He seems moodier than usual," Turles observed. Raditz rose from the table and he turned his attention to his older brother. "Where are you going?"

"I heard that Bojack guy mention a bar or something in C-block. I think I'll check it out. Care to join?" Raditz looked back at Turles. The twin shrugged and followed his brother out of the room.

Kakarrot hurriedly shoveled what was left on his plate into his mouth and rose from the table. "Wait for me, guys!" He paused and glanced at Nappa. "You coming?" he asked. The oldest Saiyan shook his head. Kakarrot shrugged and ran after his brothers.

Chichi got up after the troublesome brothers were gone. "I guess I'll get started on the dishes."

"I'll help." Bulma started gathering the leftover plates along with Chichi.

* * *

After dinner, Tarble found himself in a vast library in B-block. He'd only ever visited the libraries on Frieza's planets. While he could do extensive research, many things were kept restricted. The library in the arcology had no such restrictions. Everything was free to look at. The youngest prince was sifting through the histories of the many planets Frieza had purged or destroyed. The tyrant kept the recorded history of each planet. It seemed that at least one person on the arcology was from one of those planets. Tarble was only interested in the history of Aoi-sei and Vegeta-sei, though. He came across Vegeta-sei first.

" _Vegeta-sei, formerly Plant, was home to three races; the Plants, Tuffles, and Saiyans. By the time of the planet's destruction by a meteor_... That isn't what happened." Tarble continued to read the history of his planet. There were many lies about both the planet's inhabitants and its history. It was like reading a fictional novel. Frowning, he continued to surf the files for more information. " _Despite becoming the main inhabitants of the planet, the Saiyans were not native to it_..." He stopped reading.

 _Not native? But Saiyans have always lived on Vegeta-sei. Right_? The young prince continued to read. There was no information on where the Saiyans had originally come from.  _Frieza has to have that information somewhere. Maybe it's in the PTO database. I wonder if I can hack it from here_. Tarble knew he could. He's been hacking into the database for fun since he was young. It was how he knew about the tracking devices.

Kinomi walked into the library in search of her twin. She found him sitting at a desk with a computer. Smirking, she silently snuck up behind him and peered over his shoulder. She shook her head. Tarble tended to forget about his surroundings when he was engrossed in something that had to do with technology. "I could've slit your throat in over a hundred ways and you would only realize it in the afterlife." She laughed as her twin nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of her voice. "You've gotta be more aware of what's going on around you, Tarble."

Tarble frowned at his sister and looked back at the computer. "I'm hacking into the PTO database. It requires my full attention. One wrong keystroke could set off alarms and alert them of our location. Do you know how much encrypting and decrypting I have to do in order to remain invisible? This isn't as easy as I make it look." He turned away from her and squinted at the computer.

The Saiyan princess frowned and positioned herself behind her brother. She looked over his shoulder, watching what he was doing. Tarble snorted when he got into the database, mumbling something about security getting weaker. "Maybe you're just that good," she said. She saw a very Vegeta-like smirk cross his face at her compliment. "What are you looking for?"

The youngest prince explained the information he'd found out about their planet; or rather, the false information. Before long, Kinomi had pulled up a chair beside him. The two quietly searched through the files on all of the planets and races Frieza had ever come into contact with. Tarble finally came across information on Vegeta-sei and opened it. The twins sat wide-eyed as they read through the files.

"Planet Plant? Planet Sadala?" Kinomi said in wonder.

"A diaspora?" Tarble whispered.

"What does all this mean?" Kinomi looked at her twin.

Tarble seemed confused for a moment. Then he nodded and continued surfing through the files. "Apparently Saiyans originated on a planet called Sadala. Something happened and a little over two hundred years ago, there was a scattering of our race across the galaxy. It doesn't say if everyone left the planet or if the planet even still exists."

"So Vegeta-sei wasn't our home planet?" the princess whispered. "Where is this  _Planet Sadala_?"

"I don't know. I'd have to search for something on it. Knowing Frieza, he's hidden this information away for a reason. His ilk has always feared the Saiyans. He doesn't fear us individually, but he does fear us in numbers," Tarble responded.

Kinomi snorted. "He'll probably deny it until his dying day, but Frieza fears Vegeta. He fears his potential; what he can become," she said. Tarble smirked and nodded. "We need to find this  _Planet Sadala_. If there's a chance that other Saiyans still survive, we need to find them."

* * *

Frieza tapped his finger on the armrest of his chair. Baba floated on her crystal ball before him, leering haughtily. The overlord frowned at the old crone's audacity. "So you are aware of where she is?"

"Of course I found her. Do you take me for some novice? This information comes with a heavy price, though," the fortuneteller said.

"Money is no object, old woman. Your unreasonably high prices mean nothing to me."

"I don't want your money, Frieza." Baba moved closer to him. "I'm curious to know just how far you'll go; what you're willing to give up just to have this girl back. How important is she to you and your empire? Do you need her to continue your rule?"

The overlord's frown deepened. "I am a businessman, witch. I utilize every available source to its full potential. Name whatever it is you want."

Baba nodded. "I have more than enough money to tide me over for several lifetimes; long after your  _rule_  has come to an end. What I want from you is quite simple, though many have seemed reluctant to give it up."

"Just tell me what it is, crone. You try my patience."

"Very well." Baba cleared her throat. "What I want from you is your  _service_ ," she said.

Frieza appeared confused by her response. "I serve no one, witch. I am my own master."

Baba's scratchy laugh filled the otherwise silent room. "I don't mean for you to serve me now. Your service will only come in death. Regardless of what you may think of yourself, you are still mortal and you will die like all other mortal beings. Given your atrocities, you will not be permitted to keep your body and you will most certainly be sent straight to hell with no questions asked. However, I can work around that."

"The girl is not worth being your slave, witch," Frieza said tersely. Honestly, he did not care what happened to him in the afterlife. As far as he was concerned, he would not be meeting his end any time soon.

The fortuneteller smiled. "Did you know that there are multiple outcomes to events? Every little thing you do affects what will happen in the future. Taking a sip of your wine could change whether or not you conquer your next planet. The fortunes I read are never definite. However, it helps to see at least one outcome." Baba's crystal ball came to life.

Frieza took his eyes off of the old witch and looked into her crystal ball. Something was glowing inside of it. The light dimmed and Frieza could clearly see what was in the picture. It was Vegeta. Something was different about him. The prince was covered in blood. It did not appear to be his own. In fact, he had very few injuries from what Frieza could see. However, it was abundantly clear that he had been in a fight. Scowling, he stared harder into the ball. He could see a small figure behind the prince. It was Bulma. Something was also amiss with her. She appeared to be looking at whatever it was Vegeta was doing. The prince turned away and began walking back to Bulma. Frieza dropped his wine glass when he saw what the prince was carrying: his head. The picture promptly dissipated before anything else could be seen.

"Lies," Frieza growled.

"Oh? Are you sure? Like I said, the future changes constantly. That's just one of the ways this scenario could end if you don't receive the girl's whereabouts from me. Shall I show you another?" Baba looked down at her ball. It began swirling once again. Frieza, minus half of his body, was floating in what appeared to be the remnants of a planet. "Oh dear. It seems that currently, no scenario ends well for you."

"You are lying, witch!"

Baba wagged her small, bony index finger. "Temper, temper, Frieza. I will not stand for childish outbursts. You've seen what happens if you do not find the girl before she finds you. Do you wish to chance that future?" she asked. Frieza simply narrowed his eyes. Baba's smile returned. "I thought so. Do we have a deal?"

* * *

Vegeta stood facing his comrades. The gravity in the room had been set to 50g and would rise by 50 every 5 minutes. They had yet to decide who would spar with the prince first. Crossing his arms, Vegeta snorted loudly. It gained their attention and they all looked at him. "Come at me all at once," the prince said simply.

Turles raised an eyebrow in question. "Are you sure that's wise, Vegeta?"

The prince rolled his shoulders forward. "If I can't fend off the onslaught of the six of you, then how will I fight Frieza?" he retorted.

For a moment, no one made a move. Everyone simply stared at the prince. Kinomi was the one who broke the silence. "Fuck this," she said. She flew towards her older brother and engaged him.

Surprisingly, Tarble was the next to follow her example. The others stood back and watched what was left of the royal family fight one another. Vegeta was easily handling his younger siblings. He grabbed Tarble by the back of his head and grabbed Kinomi's ponytail as he dodged her. Then he rammed their heads together. Just as the twins fell to the ground, Nappa and Raditz joined in the fight. Seconds later, Kakarrot and Turles also followed suit. The 4-on-1 battle became 6-on-1.

Vegeta had hands and feet flying at him from all directions. The gravity increased by 50 and was at 100g. The sudden change did not affect any of the Saiyans. They just kept attacking their prince. Vegeta elbowed Nappa in the back of the head, sending him crashing into floor. Tarble broke through Vegeta's defenses and managed to land a punch on his brother. Before it even registered that he'd managed to strike Vegeta, Tarble was sent flying towards the wall. Kinomi caught her twin's body and they went tumbling to the floor together. The elder prince snorted as he deftly blocked a punch from Turles.

By the time the gravity was up to 500g, only Vegeta and Kakarrot were left standing. They were facing off against one another. Kakarrot had not taken as much damage as the rest of his comrades bar Vegeta. He knew by the time the gravitron reached 600g he would no longer be able to battle properly with Vegeta. He had to make these last 10 minutes count.

"What are you waiting for, Kakarrot?" Vegeta taunted. He was tired, but he was never tired enough not to engage Kakarrot in battle. The two levitated high above the floor of the room.

 _Vegeta has an aerial advantage. I'll never beat him from up here_ , Kakarrot thought. He was right. In the air, Vegeta's height was not a problem. Even though the prince made the most of his short stature, fighting in the air made his job a lot easier. Without warning, Kakarrot made a quick descent to the floor. Before his feet had even settled, Vegeta was on him. Luckily, the taller Saiyan was fast enough to catch both of Vegeta's fists. The two head-butted one another before releasing each other.

* * *

Bulma and Chichi watched the training session from a monitor in the kitchen. Chichi was absentmindedly stirring in a pot. "Can Kakarrot train in gravity higher than this?" Bulma asked, never taking her eyes off of the screen.

"Um, yeah. But he can't go as high as Vegeta can yet. Vegeta keeps trying to get everyone higher on the scale," Chichi answered almost mechanically. She was still stirring the pot slowly.

"I see." Bulma watched continued watching the fight. Soon, they heard the gravity go up.

* * *

" _Gravity now at 550_ ," the smooth voice of the gravitron said.

Kakarrot flinched as he felt the gravity rise. Vegeta seemed to be feeling it as well. The younger Saiyan smirked inwardly.  _I've at least managed to tire him a bit. This gravity would be no problem if he were fresh_ , he thought.

Vegeta decided quickly that he did not like the way Kakarrot was looking at him. The younger male should be concerned about the world of hurt he was going to be put through in the next 5 minutes, not leering cockily at him. The prince flew towards Kakarrot. The younger Saiyan blocked a kick with his arm. Frowning, he heard a faint cracking sound and knew a bone in his arm was probably fractured. Nevertheless, he countered with a punch that Vegeta narrowly dodged. Using his lithe form to his advantage, Vegeta placed his hands on the floor and kicked up at Kakarrot. Kakarrot jumped back, avoiding the prince's feet. Kakarrot used Vegeta's split second pause and kneed him in gut.

"They're going to be so hurt after this," Turles grumbled, nursing his sore tail. Vegeta had used it to swing him into Nappa, taking both of them down. "Vegeta fights so dirty."

"Of course he does. Fighting fair never got anyone anywhere. You shouldn't have left your tail open to attack in the first place," Raditz said. Turles growled at his older brother. Raditz returned the growl accompanied by a feral snarl and the two went back to watching the spar.

Vegeta used his momentum to flip over Kakarrot's knee. He landed several feet away. Kakarrot gave chase but he didn't count on Vegeta's leg sweep. He hit the metal floor hard but quickly rebounded to his feet. Vegeta ran forward and swung at Kakarrot. The younger male flipped away from Vegeta. Frowning, the prince gave chase again. Kakarrot disappeared from his sight for a second. Before Vegeta could block, Kakarrot's fists came down on his head. Vegeta staggered for a moment and Kakarrot tried to kick him. The prince recovered and grabbed Kakarrot by his extended foot. Kakarrot's arms flailed wildly and Vegeta slammed him into the metal floor face first. Vegeta's foot followed and Kakarrot rolled out of the way. He tried to stand but had to dodge Vegeta's leg. Ducking, he used his fist to trip Vegeta up.

" _Gravity now at 600_."

The two immediately dropped to their knees. They were equally exhausted but willing to fight on so they stood again. Kakarrot could feel how the increased gravity pulled at his fractured left arm. It would probably be useless if they continued the spar. He examined Vegeta's stance. The prince was putting most of his weight on his left foot. Kakarrot could see the awkward way his right foot was twisted. Perhaps he'd hit Vegeta a little harder than intended.

"I see you're still standing in this gravity, Kakarrot," Vegeta growled.

Kakarrot smiled. "Yeah. I guess I've gotten stronger. Someone's gotta keep up with you," he said. Vegeta grunted in reply.

Despite their respective injuries, they remained in their stances in a stalemate. Just as they took off towards one another, the red lights changed to regular fluorescent lights and the gravity was suddenly back to normal. Vegeta and Kakarrot's eyes widened as the resistance on their bodies suddenly disappeared. Unable to stop their forward momentum fast enough, they flew right into one another, knocking their heads together.

Bulma entered the gravity room. She paused at the scene before her. Both Vegeta and Kakarrot were on the floor, holding their heads. "What happened here?" she asked. She looked towards the observation room as the rest of the Saiyans filed out. Tarble and Turles were trying to quell their laughter but Kinomi and Raditz were using each other as support while they laughed themselves to tears. Nappa just glared passively at Bulma, making her shrink back a bit. For some reason, he still had not warmed to her.

Vegeta opened his eyes. They were watery and he could barely see through the unshed tears. He could hear Kakarrot moaning not too far from him. He closed his eyes again. He felt his head being lifted and laid in something soft. Opening his eyes again, he could see Bulma's smiling face. She'd placed his head in her lap as she sat on her knees. "You're the reason I'm in this condition, woman," he groaned.

"Sorry about that. Chichi said you guys wouldn't stop unless something made you stop. The only thing I thought would work is if I shut the gravitron off from the outside. How's your head?" Bulma asked, rubbing the red spot that was quickly turning into a bruise. Vegeta flinched slightly at her touch. "That bad, huh?"

The prince did not like her coddling, but his head hurt too much to resist. Besides, her cool hands felt good on the burning sore spot. "Kakarrot's skull must be the strongest material in the universe," he moaned as Bulma softly massaged his temples.

"You're one to talk," Kakarrot grumbled. Chichi was helping him stand. He was clearly very dizzy. "I can't even see straight."

Bulma giggled as the usually friendly Kakarrot mumbled several curses under his breath. One made Chichi slap his already hurt arm and he unleashed another slew of curses in a language Bulma did not understand. Everyone in the room gasped. Even Vegeta raised his head slightly to look at Kakarrot.

"Wow. Even I'm not  _that_  foul-mouthed. We're washing your mouth out with soap," Turles said with a laugh.

Vegeta groaned and relaxed back in Bulma's lap. She kept massaging his temples and he closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he noticed Bulma had stopped. Vegeta opened his eyes and saw her staring straight ahead. Her eyes were glazed over and her lips were trembling. "Woman?" he whispered.

The telepath blinked out of her stupor and looked down at Vegeta's questioning face. "The vision changed," she said plainly. Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Frieza knows. He knows, but he doesn't send anyone for us."

The prince sat up abruptly, nearly knocking Bulma over. "How did he find out? Did someone here give us..."

"No. Someone we don't know told him. But Frieza doesn't send anyone for us. He does something else; something much worse." Bulma looked up at Vegeta. He was making his way to his feet gingerly. Bulma followed suit and watched as he limped past her. "Where are you going?"

"I need to speak to the blonde woman," he answered without stopping.

Bulma stood and watched him leave. The scene before her morphed around Vegeta. He was standing in front of a fire. Bulma recognized the area around her as the mysterious planet she saw from her first vision. She looked at Vegeta's stance. His shoulders were squared. He seemed a bit taller. The aura around him was not the usual blue. Instead it was purple. It faded and he began walking.

 _What is going on_? Bulma thought. She could see someone on the ground past Vegeta. They looked as though they'd been attacked by the prince.

"Not so full of lip now, are you?" Vegeta said. Bulma had to blink at his tone. She'd never heard him speak in such a voice. It was gruff and soulless. He sounded... evil.

"I seem to recall you being stronger. I guess I was wrong in thinking that. Clearly you've grown weak," came the rather unwise taunt.

 _That voice_. Bulma walked from behind Vegeta. The person Vegeta had attacked was getting to their feet. They turned and faced Vegeta.  _It's me_.

Vegeta did not seem pleased with her words. His frown deepened and he moved faster than Bulma could follow. He had the vision of herself within his grasp and holding her up by her neck. Bulma watched herself stare defiantly into Vegeta's eyes.

"Hold that venomous tongue, bitch. You've no right to speak to me like that." Vegeta brought her closer to his face. "I could snap your neck like a fucking twig."

Bulma heard herself cough. "Then do it," she whispered.

" **WOMAN**!"

Bulma blinked and saw Vegeta staring at her. He'd limped back over to her and was now looking at her with something resembling worry in his eyes. She took a step back. Bulma shook her head. She did not want to believe what she'd seen.  _Maybe it will turn out differently. It's only one scenario. There are many different scenarios. That can't be_...

"Woman!" Vegeta yelled. She looked up at him fearfully. "What did you see?" he asked. He watched her open and close her mouth, searching for the right words to say. Finally, he just held out his hand. Bulma looked at it and swallowed. She slowly took hold of him. Vegeta noticed how she trembled. She closed her eyes and Vegeta saw everything.

The telepath was almost knocked off her feet when Vegeta released her roughly. His eyes were wide. He looked closed to bolting away from her. Bulma shook her head and grabbed him again. "It doesn't have to happen. It won't happen like that. It can't," she said quickly.

"Woman..."

Bulma shook he head. "No, Vegeta. It won't happen. I won't allow it to." She tried to sound sure of herself but she knew Vegeta could see through her false bravado. "This stays between us."

"Bulma..."

"I know you'd never hurt me consciously. The future isn't written in stone. So much can happen between now and then. This vision stays between us. Promise me." She was talking faster than she could think. "Promise me, Vegeta."

Vegeta inhaled and exhaled slowly. She was looking at him expectantly. "It will stay between us, but you must promise something as well." He watched her nod quickly. "If you sense anything amiss with me, do what you must."

Bulma blinked a few times. She knew what he meant. He wanted her to somehow limit his powers. She did not know if she could do that short of driving him insane. To ease his troubled mind, she nodded. He narrowed his eyes and she knew he wanted verbal affirmation. "I will. I promise," she whispered.


	19. Free Will

Frieza had been in a bad mood for the better part of 5 months now. He'd spent the last 4 months traveling to one of his most secret bases after Baba told him of Bulma and Vegeta's whereabouts. It pissed him off that they thought they could run from him, let alone hide out among treacherous snakes of that damnable resistance. The longer he thought about it the angrier he became. He could hear the faint sounds of his wine glass beginning to crack. Easing his hold on it, he sat the glass down on the armrest of his floating chair.

Zarbon had noticed his master's foul mood. He rubbed his cheek, thinking of the day that he'd politely asked Frieza about their destination. Frieza's fuse was practically nonexistent and he'd used his tail to slap Zarbon into a wall. It was humiliating to say the least.  _I just wish he would tell me where the hell we're going. We're about to leave his jurisdiction_ , Zarbon thought as he stared at the back of Frieza's head.

The overlord had greatly downsized for this trip. Instead of the usual flagship that held a small army, the tyrant had chosen to take a much smaller ship. It was almost as if Frieza wanted to travel without being seen. It seemed strange for a being that ruled the galaxy with an iron fist to want to remain incognito. It just did not make sense and was highly out of character for someone with as much flare as Frieza.

"Science has always intrigued me."

It took a moment for Zarbon to realize Frieza was speaking to him. He cleared his throat. "It has, my lord?"

"Yes. Science is always changing. It's trial and error. There is no such thing as  _perfection_  to a scientist. They are always seeking something better; a more advanced solution. Something can always be improved upon. That's why I respect scientists so much. Like me, they are never  _satisfied_. There is no  _finality_. They don't strive for  _perfection_. They strive for  _more_." Frieza finished off his wine and tossed the empty glass to the floor. "We're going to see my scientists."

Zarbon appeared confused. "Scientists? My lord, your scientists are back in..."

"These are my  _special_  scientists, Zarbon. They have been working on projects that not even the rest of the PTO knows about. Consider yourself lucky that I'm letting you and Dodoria tag along. You might learn something."

* * *

The knowledge that something would happen to the Ark in the near future did not sit well with Juu. Bulma had seen the same vision several times with little differences. However, there was always one common trait when it came to the visions with the Ark: it was destroyed. Every vision had the Ark suffering some sort of disaster. The cause of the disaster is never seen, but it happens. What bothered Juu even more is the fact that they can't pinpoint a time which it happens.

" _Sometimes it seems as though it's several years from now and other times it's as if it could happen tomorrow_ ," were Bulma's words about the Ark's impending doom.

That is what kept Juu on edge for weeks. After initially talking it over with Vegeta privately, they decided to have strict contingency plans in place. Everyone on the Ark had an escape plan should anything happen.  _Escape and scatter. That's all we can do in the event something attacks this place_ , she thought. She swiveled around in her chair and looked at the wall of screens. They were the views of every camera in the Ark.

Juu did not like spying on allies, but she felt it necessary to at least know who she was dealing with in terms of power and ability. Along with the common areas, all of the training facilities had cameras in them. She'd been watching the Saiyans' training for the last few weeks. She found their growth rate astounding. It seemed that the more they punished their bodies, the stronger they became. She did notice that Chichi did not seem to train with the others any longer. Juu had seen the young woman fight and thought she was one of the most inventive fighters she'd come across in years. It seemed strange that she would be sidelined. She did not recall seeing any injuries on the woman.

"Let's see what they're up to today..."

* * *

Tarble was fiddling with his scouter. After many modifications, he was going to test out how high it could read before overloading. Besides, everyone was due for a power level check. "I've almost got it configured. It should be ready in a few minutes," Tarble announced.

Vegeta grunted and took a seat across the room on the floor. He was nervous about powering up. The last time he'd done a serious power up, he almost killed himself (and probably would have taken the planet and his comrades with him). He was not looking to repeat that experience. To be safe, he would go last. His eyes fell on the two women across the room. Bulma and Chichi were talking. It seemed that Chichi was having one of her  _amicable_  days. The only pregnant woman Vegeta had ever been around was his mother when she was pregnant with the twins. Though his memory of before he was handed over to Frieza was vague at best, he could not remember his mother being so moody.

Shaking Chichi from his thoughts, his eyes settled on Bulma. There were several weighted balls in orbit around her. After her visions stopped, she threw herself into training her mind. Despite Tarble's warnings about Ardenti's influence, Bulma exercised her powers constantly. She had more control over them than ever before. In a way, training against Ardenti's influence was her own way of training with  _gravity_. Vegeta was still the exception to everything. He found that even he focused better when she watched him train. She'd found a way to make herself resistant to the gravity while it was on so she would silently watch him when he trained alone. The things Bulma could do amazed him, yet he'd probably never tell her that.

Bulma caught Vegeta watching her. She smiled in his direction and he quickly averted his eyes. Bulma's smile faded and she sighed. Vegeta had distanced himself from her since she showed him her vision of them. He rarely spoke to her and when he did it was simple, dry, monosyllabic responses and they often ended up fighting. Bulma could not read his mind, but she could tell that he did not trust himself. Nothing she said could deter him from that thinking, either.

"Okay. Who's first?" Tarble asked.

"I'll go!" Raditz stood and walked to the center of the room. Tarble nodded for him to start. Raditz took a deep breath and then began powering up. A faint white aura surrounded him. It grew brighter and brighter. Tarble stood off to the side, pressing a few buttons on his scouter. Raditz's power leveled off and Tarble's scouter beeped. The older Saiyan crossed his arms and powered down almost instantly. "What does it say?"

"31,000; just under Dodoria's level," Tarble said.

Turles let out a hearty laugh. "Maybe you should spend less time with the women and more time training," he said as he passed his older brother. Raditz snarled at him and took a seat while Turles stood in the middle of the floor.

Kinomi patted Raditz on the back. "Look at it this way, Raditz. At least you're more powerful than Cui," she said with a giggle.

"Hush! The master is going to work," Turles said. His aura flared almost immediately, the same color as Raditz's. "What's it looking like, squirt?" he yelled over the noise.

Tarble waited until Turles' power leveled off. His scouter beeped and he smiled a bit. "34,000," he said.

Turles powered down and gave an exaggerated bow. "And that's what real training will get you."

"Three rounds of drinks says Kakarrot is more powerful than you," Raditz said.

"I already thought that was common knowledge," Chichi piped. Everyone looked at her. "What? He is the only one that can last more than five minutes against Vegeta and everyone knows Vegeta dwarfs the rest of us."

"Aww thanks, Cheech," Kakarrot said as he stood. He began walking over to the center of the room, but Kinomi elbowed him in the gut. "Hey!" He watched the Saiyan princess stick her tongue out at him and continue towards the center of the room. Sighing, he walked back to his seat beside Chichi.

Vegeta and Bulma both took notice of Kinomi, somewhat eager to see how powerful the young girl was. Kinomi simply stood there. It did not look like she was powering up, but Tarble's scouter began reading her. Instead of an aura flaring up, Kinomi's body took on a faint purple glow. Tarble's scouter beeped.

"28,000. That's..."

"... significantly higher than her last reading," Raditz finished. "She was only at 18,000 last time. How'd she make such a jump in such a short amount of time? Even I train more than she does. She gets injured all the time."

Kinomi flipped her hair and walked back to her seat with her nose in the air. "I'm just better than you. You should know that by now, Raditz," she said haughtily.

"Actually, Kinomi's injuries are a critical part of her massive jump in power lately," Tarble said as he logged in the readings. "Saiyans increase power after being mortally wounded. It's called  _zenkai_. Considering she almost died back on Planet One and then had her ki sealed, this jump isn't out of nowhere. In fact, I would've been surprised if it had been anything lower than 25,000. 28,000 is higher than my expectations."

"Then perhaps we should start fatally wounding ourselves and then getting healed just to rapidly increase our power," Nappa said.

Tarble shook his head. "That isn't a good idea. Along with those boosts of power comes the issue with being able to control it. Also, if your body isn't ready to handle it then you'll probably kill yourself." He handed the scouter to Chichi. "I'll go next."

* * *

"Do you know how I'm always trying to find new ways of  _discipline_ , Zarbon?" Frieza asked.

The two were walking through the dark hallways of the secret base having left Dodoria to guard the ship. The place was dark and murky. Several of the fluorescent lights flickered on and off. The place looked like it had not been cleaned in years. Zarbon heard the air conditioners whirring in the walls. Occasionally, he heard screaming and moaning coming from some of the rooms. They had only passed a few of the  _scientists_  that worked there.  _Shifty_  was not an apt enough word to describe them. It took a lot to make Frieza's right hand squeamish, but this base made even his skin crawl. Unsurprisingly, Frieza seemed to thrive in such a setting.

"I know you're always trying to find more efficient ways to... discipline your men, my lord," Zarbon answered. Frieza abhorred the word  _torture_ , which is really all he meant by discipline. The overlord felt that the word was too barbaric and simplistic to cover the sheer brilliance of the  _art_  of discipline.

"Yes. One can never be too efficient when it comes to penalizing his underlings. I've had my scientists working on a great way of disciplining my soldiers without making them useless to me. Not everyone can be as strong-willed as you or I. I don't see it as punishment, though," Frieza said. The two came to large metal double doors. The doors appeared newer than the old rusty doors that were everywhere else. Frieza stepped over to a keypad and entered a code. A small window opened in front of him and scanned his eyes. The doors made a clicking sound before opening up. Frieza motioned for Zarbon to follow him. "Welcome to my lab, Zarbon. Not even my brother knows about this place."

Zarbon nodded numbly as he took in the sights around him. The lab was large and it was a far cry from what lay outside of it. Everything looked shiny, new, and high-tech. There were only a few other beings milling about the place, but there were several test subjects. Zarbon could easily figure out that the cells outside of this lab held the many other test subjects. The ones in the lab were in various situations. Some were laid out on cots, being examined by some of the scientists. Others were sitting in cages, curled up in fetal positions or staring listlessly into space.

A red-eyed, fair-skinned alien noticed Frieza and clasped her real hands together. There were six other mechanical hands hooked onto her back. She moved towards Frieza and Zarbon. "Lord Frieza, it is a pleasure to see you!" The alien's voice was high-pitched and could probably break glass if loud enough.

"How are things, Tintissi?" Frieza sounded quite pleasant.

"They are moving along, my lord. What brings you all the way out here?" Tintissi gave Zarbon a passing glance but said nothing to him.

"I'm never too busy to come for a visit, Tintissi. You know that. However, I do have a specific reason I am here. It has to do with the Libertas Project," the overlord said.

Tintissi nodded. "I'm glad you're here. We've made so many advances. Those human scientists were a great help in helping strengthen the signal. We've even gotten it to work on a human. There is almost no way to override it now." Tintissi turned around. One of her mechanical hands beckoned for Frieza and Zarbon to follow.

She led them past several experiments and test subjects. Some of the experiments were absolutely grotesque, but Tintissi and Frieza sauntered past them as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. On the other hand, Zarbon was trying to suppress his gag reflex. He decided that staring at the back of Frieza's head was the best way to keep his mind off of things.

Tintissi stopped at another metal door at the far end of the lab. Using a card, she opened the door. One of her mechanical arms held the door open for Frieza and Zarbon. Once inside, she led them down a dim hallway. "We have to keep the lights dim at all times. When the project is in use, it is sensitive to light. We're trying to rectify that as well. Here we are." Tintissi stopped at the end of the hallway. She used her card and a keypad to open the door. Frieza and Zarbon followed her inside.

There was a one-way mirror in the room. Another room could be seen behind the glass. Frieza and Zarbon stepped up to the glass to look inside. The room was surrounded with white padding. In the left corner, a bald man was sitting on the floor. He was dressed in what looked like black scrubs. He stared across the room blankly. It took moment for Frieza to see, but he could see that the man had a third eye.

"I thought only humans were being used for the Libertas Project. I don't recall anything about humans having more than one eye," he said, noticing the electrodes attached to various parts of the man's body.

Tintissi shrugged. "According to him, he is a human. He's just from some sort of clan that had three eyes instead of two. In the end, it didn't matter. His DNA structure was close enough. He seems to be a bit of a better specimen, considering he uses more of his brain than the average human. He's also quite powerful for a human; a level reading of 1500 at rest, up to 3,000 powered up. It actually makes him a better test subject than a regular human, given who this project is targeted at."

Frieza nodded. "Is it ready to use, though?"

"His is already partially activated, so all we need is to set the correct signal. Since he isn't on the other side of the galaxy, it will not take as long to activate." Tintissi looked slyly at Frieza. "Would you like to see a demonstration, my lord?" she asked. She looked far too happy. Frieza nodded, still looking at the test subject in the room.

Tintissi walked over to a control panel. She slid her card into a slot and began typing on the keyboard. The lights inside the cell changed to black lights, giving off a strange glowing effect. The human inside looked around frantically and got to his feet. It was like he knew what was going to happen. He backed into the far wall. Tintissi smiled and moved over to a speaker.

"Bring in another test subject," she said.

A hidden door slid open and a human girl was pushed inside. She looked around nervously. She saw the bald man across from her and walked a few feet back. She bumped into the wall. The two just stared at one another without speaking. Both appeared terrified of what was about to happen.

The scientist pressed a few more buttons and took a seat. She motioned for Frieza and Zarbon to follow suit. "And now we wait," she said quietly.

They did not have to wait long. Two minutes later, the man eased up off of the wall, looking at the girl. She took a single step towards the corner. Before she could properly press herself against the wall, she was being held up by her neck by the man. She started to scream. Frieza seemed impressed with his speed but said nothing. Instead, he watched as the man squeezed the girl's neck. He turned around and threw her to the floor. She started wheezing and coughing, trying desperately to get air into her lungs. She looked behind her and saw the man approaching her donning a smirk.

The three who were in the observation room watched with morbid fascination as the man tortured the girl. He used ki to burn most of her clothes off and cut her skin. He slowly and methodically peeled her skin from her flesh at various parts of her body. He broke her bones, leaving her appendages mangled. He twisted off one of her fingers and chewed it like a toothpick while the girl watched in horror. With ki, he burned a wide grin into her face, giving her the appearance that she was smiling. The entire time the girl screamed and attempted to fight him off. Nothing worked. Finally, he forced his right hand into her chest, breaking her sternum. That was when Tintissi pressed another button. The lights returned to normal.

The man blinked a few times. The girl was no longer screaming but somehow she remained alive. She was fading fast, though. The man noticed the girl and quickly removed her hand. Blood flowed from the girl's mouth and her head lolled to the side. She was dead. The man got to his feet and stared at his bloodied hands. He tasted the blood in his mouth and began wretching. He fell to his knees and vomited.

"You know what the best part about this is?" Tintissi took her eyes off the man. He appeared to be entering some sort of shock, but she ignored him for the time being.

"What is that?" Frieza was finding the man's torture methods quite interesting and creative. The way he had carved what amounted to a smile into the girl's face gave him a few ideas of his own.

"He is fully aware of what he was doing. There was just nothing he could do to stop himself. Part of him thoroughly enjoyed torturing that female. The other part was screaming at himself to stop. The Libertas Project does exactly what you asked, Lord Frieza. It takes away your free will."

Frieza smiled. "How soon will this be completed?"

"I can start the pre-activation sequence now. Give me six more months. After that, complete activation will be possible. There will be no way to override it and we will have fixed the lighting problem. Once we activate it, it will take about a month to make the necessary changes. Once that month is up, they'll be completely under your control. Then again, it also depends on how far away we have to send the signal..."

 _Six months_ , Frieza thought. He nodded his assent and Tintissi smiled.

Zarbon watched as the man lamented what he'd done to the human girl. He was no stranger to torture. Watching the girl be tortured is not what bothered him. What Tintissi said about the man being conscious of what he was doing but unable to stop it disturbed him. She'd made him a prisoner of his own body. It was worse than any physical torture Zarbon could think of.

_Is this what Frieza has planned for Vegeta?_

* * *

"23,000," Chichi said as the scouter beeped. Tarble nodded and back over to her. She tossed the scouter to him and he put it back on. "Not bad."

"I suppose not. Who's next? Nappa?" Tarble logged his power level and cleared it for the older Saiyan. Nappa walked to the center and quickly powered up. "About 30,000. That's just below Raditz."

Turles cackled again. "Just barely beating the old man, Raditz."

"Shut up, Turles. I can still whoop your ass," Raditz growled.

"I'd like to see you try, weakling."

"Why you..."

"Enough!" Chichi yelled. "I can kick both your asses. Now shut up and sit down." She glared at the brothers. They both shut their mouths and sat down. There was minor shoving but another glare from Chichi quickly put a stop to it.

Chuckling, Kakarrot walked to the center of the room. "I suppose  _now_  it's my turn," he said, giving a Kinomi a look. She shrugged him off. A white aura surrounded Kakarrot as he powered up. It came as no surprise when his ki shot way past Turles' ki. It rose higher and higher before leveling off.

Tarble's scouter beeped. He blinked a few times in surprise. "It's even higher than I imagined."

Kakarrot exhaled as he powered down. "Well what is it?" he asked giddily.

"75,000," Tarble said. Everyone in the room looked at Kakarrot in surprise.

Turles chuckled. "It isn't surprising. Kakarrot is almost as bad as Vegeta when it comes to training. Not to mention how Vegeta constantly beats the shit out of him. He'll be scratching 100,000 in no time." He looked over at Vegeta. "I guess it's finally your turn," he said.

Vegeta finally tuned everyone back in. He'd only really been paying attention to the numbers; not the  _scintillating_  conversation between the brothers. He glared at Kakarrot, knowing the younger Saiyan had held back a great deal. He was closer in power to Vegeta than anyone else and by close, there was not too much between them.  _Is there a reason you hid your power?_

Kakarrot blinked, hearing Vegeta's voice in his mind. He smirked as he took a seat. He did not look in the prince's direction.  _We'll just keep it between you and me for now_ , he responded. He heard Vegeta mentally snort.  _Besides, I don't know how much Tarble's scouter can handle. I didn't want to break it before we got a reading on you_.

 _You're a fucking moron, Kakarrot_.

 _You're my best friend too, Vegeta_.

The prince rolled his eyes as he made it to his feet. He walked to the center of the room and crossed his arms. His blue aura flared around him almost instantaneously. Vegeta was the only one with a blue aura. The sheer brilliance of it never failed to amaze his comrades. He deliberately powered up slowly. He did not want a repeat of what happened on that deserted planet.

Bulma mentally lowered the balls to the floor as she watched Vegeta. She stood and began circling around him. She wanted to see the entirety of his aura. She also figured that he would be distracted by her; she could feel it from him. Bulma stopped when she ended up behind him. Vegeta turned his head to the side, letting her know that he knew she was there but he said nothing. Bulma smiled to herself and sat down on the floor. She drew her knees up and hugged them.

"Where is Vegeta now?" Nappa asked.

"70,000," Tarble responded quickly. Soon, Vegeta's ki surpassed Kakarrot's and showed no sign of slowing down. Tarble began to get nervous. He also remembered the incident months ago on the deserted planet. The last thing they needed was for Vegeta to lose control, blow up the Ark, and them along with it. "80,000... 90,000... 100,000..." Tarble flinched as the scouter shorted out. He removed it from his face, rubbing the burn mark it had left on his temple.

"Where did it stop?" Kinomi asked.

"Around 110,000 but it was still rising." Tarble looked back up at Vegeta. His aura was blinding and it had spread.

Vegeta felt it again. At some point, he'd lost control. His aura flashed a different color momentarily. His own ki started to turn on him. His body temperature skyrocketed. He tried to stop powering up. He uncrossed his arms and put them to his head, holding it in pain. It felt like it was going to explode. He'd never had such a terrible headache before.

"Damnit! It's still going higher. He'll destroy this place at this rate.” Kakarrot stood up. He was the only one who was powerful enough to get close to Vegeta. He'd fought Vegeta at both of their maximums and it was never this high. It did not help that it was becoming increasingly unstable. It would jump astronomically before dipping to almost nonexistent. It was happening so quickly that Kakarrot could not understand how Vegeta was still standing. It was as if his own ki was rebelling against him. "Vegeta, calm down!"

The prince could hear his comrades yelling to him. Through his aura he could see Kakarrot attempting to approach him. He was close before Vegeta's aura shot out, flinging him backwards. Turles had to move in front of Chichi to keep Kakarrot from falling into her. He was going to kill them all if it did not stop. Panic began to set in and his breathing became more erratic. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to frantically regain his control, but it was not working. His own ki was fighting him.

Cold arms wrapped around him. A cool body pressed against his back. It was déjà vu. Vegeta's eyes shot open. He dropped his hands from his head and touched the arms that circled his waist. He felt the arms flinch slightly and he knew that they were not cold; his body temperature was just vast. His ki started to stabilize, but it did not lower.

"Breathe, Vegeta. Just breathe with me." It was Bulma.

Vegeta knew she must have been hurting. He could see the red marks on her arms from where he had touched her. She did not let go, though. He started to inhale and exhale slowly in time with her. His ki started to lower to controllable levels. His aura dissipated and his body temperature began to cool. Once he was back to normal, he felt Bulma's arms loosen their grip. She began to sink to the floor. He quickly turned around and kneeled.

The skin on her arms and the left side of her face where she had pressed up against his bare back were burned as well. The burns were not serious and could easily be healed in a tank without leaving scars. Vegeta was angry at himself for letting it happen, though. He shook her softly. "Woman?"

Bulma's eyes opened. She smiled when she saw that he was all right. She pulled herself upright and touched his face. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You're an idiot, woman. I could've killed you," Vegeta scolded.

"Says the man who was going to explode and kill us all. Besides, you were hurting. I could feel your pain." Bulma blinked a few times. Each time, it took her a second longer to reopen her eyes. "I just... wanted to... make it stop." She passed out into Vegeta's chest.

As Vegeta scooped Bulma up and stood, he became aware of the soreness and fatigue in his body. He wobbled to the left. Kinomi rushed forward and caught Bulma as she slipped from Vegeta's grasp. Vegeta himself had to be caught by Kakarrot. He noticed that Vegeta was out cold. Kakarrot maneuvered Vegeta around so that he was carrying him on his back.

"I'll go start up two tanks," Raditz said.

* * *

Juu shut off the screen in her office. The cameras had broken soon after Tarble's scouter shorted out. As an android, she could not sense ki like everyone else could. She knew the Saiyans only used a scouter to measure by numbers instead of what they felt.  _Tarble said Vegeta's reached over 110,000 before his scouter shorted. I knew the Saiyans were strong, but I never imagined Vegeta could be so powerful. Controlling it seems to be an issue, though. If Bulma had not been there_... Juu shuddered thinking about what could have happened.

"I need to talk to the one called Tarble," she mumbled to herself. She stood up and left her office, intent on speaking with the youngest Saiyan prince.

* * *

Tarble was examining his scouter. He carefully plucked out the chip that operated the device. It was melted and still smoking. Tarble sighed.  _There goes months of work. Damnit, Geta_ , he thought as he tossed the chip to the side.  _I'll have to use an old scouter's chip and modify it again. Maybe I could cut down on the time it took to_...

"Yo, Tarble! You've got company!" Turles banged on the door to Tarble's room.

The young prince raised an eyebrow. "Company?" He stood from his desk and made his way to his door. He opened it and saw the blonde woman standing there. He recognized her immediately. "Hi, Juu! What can I do for you?"

"I need to speak to you about something important," Juu answered sternly. Tarble nodded and stepped to the side to allow her entry. Juu swept past him and into the room. She looked around, seeing all the gadgets and mechanical parts that Tarble had around the room. He'd moved extra desks into his room. Blueprints, maps, and drafting paper were strewn across them. There was one chair on wheels that had rubbed a trail in the carpet from sliding back and forth along the line of desks. "I see you've made it your home," she said.

Tarble blushed and moved over to the armchair in a corner. There were more metal parts and rolled up blueprints sitting in it. He sat them on the floor and offered Juu the seat. She nodded and sat down. "It's a little messy, but I promise that it's all... organized," he said. He took a seat across from her. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm here to talk about ask about your brother." Juu noticed him bristle at the mention of Vegeta. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad. It's just something that concerns me. I... saw the training session you all had earlier today."

"You spied on us?" Tarble nearly yelled. He relaxed almost immediately, not wanting to draw attention to them. "Why were you spying on us?"

Juu shrugged nonchalantly. "I spy on everyone. Don't consider yourselves lucky. Besides, it's only the training rooms and common areas that have cameras. Everywhere else is private. Now about your brother..."

"You're concerned about his power." It was not a question. Tarble crossed his arms and Juu noticed how much he resembled Vegeta in that moment. "His abilities are supposed to be kept a secret. In the PTO, he's registered as having a power level of 20,000."

"20,000? Even you're more powerful than that."

"Exactly. Frieza believes that we can't get stronger; that our power is static. To some extent that is true. Some of us are born with high power levels. Geta was born with an 18,000 reading and it remained that way for a long time. At about the age of ten, he had a jump which Frieza attributed to a growth spurt. After a while, Frieza just stopped reading our levels. That's when Geta began to train like crazy. We learned how to sense ki and even conceal our ki. Geta at rest keeps his power at around 20,000 just to throw scouters off."

Juu nodded and relaxed back in the armchair. "So what was that?" She gestured in the direction of the training room.

Tarble scratched the back of his head. "Geta lost control. It's only happened once before. He rarely powers up to his maximum nowadays because he doesn't know if he can control it."

"What's his maximum?"

"Uh, the last recorded level was 95,000. That was probably a year ago and even then he briefly exceeded it when he lost control. He's been training very hard recently, so who knows where it is now. The problem Geta has now is that his body can't handle the kind of ki it can produce. It becomes unstable and tries to find some form of release. It's almost like his ki is growing faster than his body can catch up." Tarble looked off to the side, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Then there's Bulma..."

Juu raised an eyebrow. "Bulma? What about her?"

Tarble looked back in Juu's direction. "She's the only reason Vegeta did not explode. She was the only one who could get close enough to touch him. Even Kakarrot couldn't get past Vegeta. But she just walked up behind him and... She's done this before; the last time Vegeta lost control. I don't think either of them knows it, though."

The blonde android crossed her legs and her arms and said nothing. She'd seen the previous interactions between the prince and the telepath. Though lately their exchanges tended to be more on the volatile side, it was plain to see their concern for one another. "Why wouldn't they know about the first time?"

"I don't know exactly, but if I had to guess it would be something to do with Bulma's powers being more random back then. I hate to think about what would've happened had Bulma not interfered."

Raditz pushed his brothers back as they heard walking. Using their speed, they flew to different spots in the common area and tried to make themselves appear busy. The door to Tarble's room opened and Juu walked out. She bid Tarble farewell and left. Tarble watched her go before looking at the nosy brothers. Kakarrot waved at him with a smile. Tarble rolled his eyes and went back to his room.

The young prince walked over to the row of desks. He moved the broken scouter out of the way and started staking the blueprints. Underneath all the blueprints was a chart of the galaxy. He sat down and looked at the chart. There were several marks and lines drawn.

 _I'm going to find this planet Sadala. I need to know if our true home world still exists_ , he thought. Tarble had not told anyone about his research except Kinomi. He needed the rest of the Saiyans to keep their concentration.  _I'll only tell them if I find some hard evidence_.

* * *

Bulma walked out of her room after a long shower. It was in the middle of the night; or what the people in the Ark perceived as  _night_. The other Saiyans had long been asleep. Having spent most of the night in a healing tank, Bulma was starving. She moved silently down the hallway to the kitchen. When she got there, she raided the fridge.

 _I'm so damn hungry. I didn't think that particular side effect of the tanks would affect me_ , she thought as she pulled out the cold leftovers. She sat down and instantly began eating everything cold. She was chewing on a piece of salted meat when she her mind began going over the previous day's events.  _I wonder how Vegeta is doing. He looked so tired_. Vegeta had already left his tank by the time she was let out. She had not seen him since passing out.

She could not remember much before she lost consciousness. All she really remembered was feeling Vegeta's pain. She felt as though her body was on fire even though her body temperature had been normal. She'd even noticed the faint aura that surrounded her. It was Vegeta's ki, not hers. "I'm not even sure I have enough ki to hold my own aura," she whispered to herself. Bulma gathered up what she did not eat and put it back in the fridge. Then she left the kitchen, picking salted meat from her teeth. "I don't think I've ever eaten that much before."

While she was walking back to her room, she stopped at the door to the training room. She stared at the large metal door for a moment and then looked in the opposite direction. She looked at Vegeta's door. Before she knew it, Bulma's feet were carrying her to the door.

Surprisingly, the door was not locked. Bulma opened it and stepped inside the dark room. It closed silently behind her. She stood still, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light. There was only a tiny lamp on but it was on the far side of the room. Bulma clasped her hands together and moved soundlessly across the carpet.

Vegeta lay on his back on top of the sheets. He was so still that it looked as though he was not even breathing. Bulma climbed up on the soft bed and crawled over to him. Somehow, he did not stir. She thought her mere presence would wake him but he was out cold. Seeing how she would probably never get this opportunity again, Bulma positioned herself so that she was straddling him. She leaned down close to his face, her damp hair making a canopy around them. His lips were parted and she could hear the very soft purr-like snore coming from him. The sound brought a small smile to her face. She took note of how his eyes moved about beneath his lids though his face remained relatively relaxed.

 _He's dreaming_ , she mused. Bulma ran her hand through his thick hair, stopping to lightly scratch his scalp. His eyes became still and he sighed at her touch. Bulma scratched his scalp again and he groaned.  _Why have you been avoiding me, Vegeta?_ Her mental voice sounded sad even to her. She had not realized how much she actually enjoyed Vegeta's company until he started shunning her. She leaned down closer to his face, intent on kissing him.

"I miss you, Vegeta," she whispered against his lips. Bulma nearly fell off of him when she felt something soft wrap around her waist. She turned her head and saw Vegeta's tail making itself comfortable. When she looked back at Vegeta, his dark eyes were open and staring at her.

For a moment, Vegeta had no idea who the blue-eyed nymph sitting before him was. All he knew was that her presence was calming and it had chased the nightmares away. Still, he felt as though he needed to defend himself. He then noticed his tail wrapped securely around the woman's waist. She seemed stunned that he was looking at her and had frozen. Her face suddenly registered in his mind.  _Bulma_...

"Hey," he whispered, barely audible. How had he forgotten her face?

Bulma smiled and leaned back down to him, still stroking his hair softly. "Hey," she replied. Vegeta looked away from her eyes. His hand rose up to her face. He touched where she had been burned. Her skin was back to its perfect state. He checked her arms as well. "I'm fine, Vegeta. It's like nothing happened."

Vegeta frowned. "But it did..." He was silenced by the soft kiss Bulma gave him.

Bulma raised her head slightly. "If it meant saving you, I would do it again."

"You are a foolish woman. I don't need you to save me." Vegeta turned his head away from her. She sat up away from him and Vegeta looked at her again. She was examining his tail. He'd forgotten that it was wrapped around her. Had he done that consciously? "What are you doing, woman?" He inhaled deeply as her hand softly petted it.

"I always forget you guys have these tails. You keep them well hidden. I only ever see yours if it is wrapped around me."

"Would you get your heavy ass off of me? I can barely breathe." Vegeta's voice sounded strained. He was no longer looking at Bulma. He visibly flinched when she ran her hand across the tip. "Woman..."

"I resent being called  _heavy_. The way you fling me around you'd think I was a cloud." She noticed his reactions to what she was doing with his tail. Smirking devilishly, she unwrapped it from around her waist. Vegeta glared at her but she ignored his malevolent expression. With a featherlike touch, she ran her hand down his tail. She felt him shudder beneath her. "Oh, I think  _his highness_  likes it..."

Vegeta growled and moved his tail from her grasp. Bulma's small giggle turned into a loud laugh. Frowning, Vegeta pulled her down to him, shutting her up with a kiss of his own. He rolled over so that she was beneath him. He allowed her to breathe and buried his head in the side of her neck, inhaling deeply. Bulma wrapped her arms around him. She could hear his thoughts; what he was silently asking her.

"Vegeta?" Bulma muttered.

"Hn." Vegeta simply let her know he was listening. He was too busy enjoying her scent.

Bulma began stroking his mane again. She loved the feel of it. Closing her eyes, she sighed. "I don't want to."

"You must and you will." His response was instantaneous.

"What if I can't reverse it?"

"Do you have so little faith in your abilities, woman?" Vegeta sat up and looked down at her. She looked genuinely worried. "You saw what it was like. You saw that I can't control it."

"But if you train..."

"Who knows how much longer I'll have for that, woman? It could be hours, days, or years. Then with your last visions... If I can't control it..."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "You're afraid someone else will."

"I'm not afraid of anything, woman," Vegeta said sternly. By the look she was now giving him, he knew she knew it was a load of crap. Vegeta had plenty of fears that he would never voice. Bulma would not voice them to anyone either. She went back to stroking his hair. "Why do you do that?"

"Because you like it." Bulma paused. "Will you keep avoiding me, Vegeta?"  _I missed you_.

Vegeta shook his head. "I... missed your company as well. You may talk a lot but at least it is about things relevant to our lives. Kakarrot and the others' drivel weighs on my nerves. So no, I will not," he answered. She smiled but stayed silent. She watched Vegeta stare down at her, examining every part of her face. Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, she looked away from him.

Why had he forgotten her face for that short moment? It had lasted less than 5 seconds but those 5 seconds were more than long enough for him to have killed her. The thought disturbed him far more than anything. He'd promised to never hurt her and in those 5 seconds he'd considered ending a woman who saved him at the risk of her own life. But he had hesitated. His tail had acted subconsciously by showing him she was not a threat; that she was a friend. Vegeta lowered himself into the crevasse between Bulma's neck and shoulder. He inhaled her scent again, making her shiver.

"Why do you do that?" Bulma asked, mimicking his tone when he'd asked her the same question.

Vegeta paused. The scene with him attacking her flashed in his mind. He had not known who she was. Maybe he could change that scenario just a bit...

Noticing his pause, Bulma tried to look at him. He kept her still. "Vegeta?"

"You can change many things about yourself, woman. The one thing you cannot change is your scent. As long as I know your scent, I'll know you."  _Or at least I'll know subconsciously_...

Bulma understood. Something other than the vision she'd shown him was plaguing him. He'd purposely closed it off to her. She would not force it from him. She would wait until he wanted to tell her. So she continued to stroke his hair as they lay there in silence.

* * *

Frieza drummed his fingers against the armrest of his floating chair. He was still at his secret base. Now he was looking through files and information that could possibly help him in another endeavor. Baba's  _deal_  still did not sit well with him. So far, he'd found nothing to help him weasel his way out of it.

 _There's bound to be something in this godforsaken galaxy that can help. Never in a million years will I bind myself to that old hag. She has another thing coming if she thinks I will "come quietly," as they say_ , he thought. Even if it took him years, Frieza would find a way.  _But the only thing I can think of would be eternal life. But what could grant me immortality?_


	20. Do As I Say

"Why is he all shriveled up like that?" Kinomi looked at Chichi as the older woman held her newborn son. "He's all... wrinkly."

Raditz smacked Kinomi in the back of her head. She turned and glared at him. "That's what newborn whelps look like, dumbass. And stop talking that way about my nephew." He glanced over at the baby. Despite his appearance, the baby was very big. "He looks like a strong one."

Chichi stared down at her child. The babe's tail had wrapped subconsciously around her wrist. "If the strength of his tail is any indication, he will be." She glanced around the crowded operating room. Everyone was there. Even Vegeta stood off in the corner observing the proceedings. There was one person missing, though. "Where's Kakarrot?" she asked. She noticed how Raditz and Turles snickered to themselves.

Bulma rolled her eyes at their childishness. "He passed out while watching."

"The man can slaughter millions in the blink of an eye but loses his marbles when confronted with a woman's sna..." Turles stopped talking when he received a sharp jab to his ribs from Bulma. "What was that for?"

"Could you be any more uncouth?" Bulma rolled her eyes and looked over at Chichi. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

"Kakarrot really liked the name  _Gohan_ , so that is probably what we'll stick with." Chichi looked back at her sleeping baby. "I guess we should wait for Kakarrot to come around before anything is made official."

Vegeta watched from the darkened corner of the room. They were in C-block of the Ark. It was the only block that had the proper equipment and doctors needed for Chichi to give birth. Although she had insisted that she could give birth perfectly fine by herself, Vegeta would hear none of it. Even Nappa agreed with him and the men all had to practically force Chichi to see reason. However, Vegeta was keeping his distance at the moment and watching his comrades interact with the newborn.

 _No doubt the whelp will be spoiled rotten by all of them_ , he thought. The oldest prince turned and exited the room.

* * *

C-block was the only block that resembled a small city. There was even a marketplace that the men often frequented. There were plenty of bars to keep Raditz and Turles satisfied. Though Vegeta rarely accompanied them, he understood the need for a healthy morale. So he dismissed their ventures for food, women, and wine. The prince found himself walking through the darkened area of the closed marketplace. It was late night in the Ark, so everything was closing down.

Vegeta thought about how the last 3 months had gone. He'd made great strides in his training. Although he still could not power up as well as he would like to gauge his strength, he was starting to get a little closer each time. He did not know if that was attributed to him getting stronger in general, but at least his body was catching up with his power. It still confused him why he was even having such a problem. Before that incident on the deserted planet, he'd never had trouble powering up. Now he had to proceed with caution each and every time.

Besides the issues with his ki, something else also troubled Vegeta. There were times where he had the overwhelming desire to kill whatever was in sight. It was not the typical Saiyan bloodlust; it was something more sinister and dark. His instincts were mainly just to fight, not kill. But Vegeta found himself waking up sometimes and not knowing where he was. When things like that happened, survival instincts kicked in and anything unfamiliar was liable to be destroyed in self-defense. When it first started, he dismissed it as just being disoriented after waking up or taking a haymaker to the face from Kakarrot. Then it started happening when Vegeta was not even doing anything. He shuddered at the thought of the most recent occurrence.

_Vegeta walked into his room after a long day of training. All he wanted was to bathe and to go to bed. He moved towards the adjoining bathroom and heard that someone was already in the bathtub. Smirking, he already knew who it was. He silently slipped inside the bathroom. Then he paused._

_Feeling a cold draft, Bulma turned her head to look behind her. She smiled and turned back around. "How is it that you're the only one with a tub? Everyone else has those little showers. Anyway, now that you're here, you can help me wash my hair. It's gotten so long that I have trouble washing it all now." She picked up a bottle of shampoo that sat on the edge of the large tub. She turned and held out the bottle to Vegeta. He did not move. Frowning, Bulma lowered her arm. "Is something wrong, Vegeta?" she asked._

_He could hear her talking, but he could not make sense of the woman before him. Who was she? Why was she in his bathroom? Vegeta's tail bristled around his waist and his frown deepened. He was on the verge of attacking the pretty female in his bathtub before her scent wafted past his nose. Blinking a few times, recognition washed over him._

_It was just Bulma. Had he forgotten her again? Why did this keep happening? Was his sanity finally beginning to slip?_

Vegeta recalled that he had been close to attacking her in that moment. She had not even really taken much notice to his pause and chalked it up to him being stunned at her beauty.  _The woman has a ridiculously high opinion of herself_ , he thought as he took a seat on a bench. He saw the lights go out in what he assumed was some sort of bakery. Leaning back on the bench, Vegeta sighed as he looked up at the artificial sky.  _How long have we been here_? he wondered idly.

* * *

Bulma opened the door to the darkened corridor of their floor in E-block. She'd left the other Saiyans after noticing Vegeta's sudden disappearance. Since their discussion a few months ago, Vegeta had been more inclined to spend time around her. She'd noticed the change in his training regimen. He spent much more time focusing his ki rather than expending it. She had some ideas for helping him, but she was not sure how he would take her suggestions.

 _I'll have to finally ask him. It can only help, not hinder_ , Bulma mused. She opened the door to his room quietly. It was dark inside except for the emergency light in a far corner and the light of a ki ball that Vegeta was lightly tossing between his hands.

"What are you doing here, woman?" Vegeta turned his head to watch her sit down on his bed. Bulma swung her ponytail over her left shoulder and he frowned in the darkness. He hated it when she wore her hair up. He tossed the ki ball in her direction. She barely flinched as she dissipated it before it got remotely close to her.

"I obviously came looking for you, Vegeta. Why'd you leave the room? Kakarrot had finally woken up. He instantly turned to mush when he finally saw his son. Then Turles and Raditz started teasing him. You can guess the turn the conversation took then," she responded. "Actually, I don't blame you for leaving. Those two can be so vulgar at times."

Vegeta snorted. He knew better than anyone how crude Raditz and Turles could be. He blinked. Who were Raditz and Turles? He glanced around frantically. Where was he? He looked at the woman to his left. Who was she? Why was she talking to him like she was familiar with him? She began crawling towards him. She looked him in the eye. The smile had disappeared from her face and she was calling his name. Who was this woman to speak to him so familiarly?

Bulma raised an eyebrow when Vegeta started snarling at her. "Vegeta?" She received no answer. Bulma noticed his tail bristling. He felt threatened. Why did he feel that way? What was going on? "Vegeta, what's wrong with you? You're scaring..." She let out a high-pitched squeal as he tackled her to the bed, closing his hand around her throat.

"You speak to me as if we are acquainted, woman. I am not a fan of whores. Who sent you?"

Bulma coughed and grabbed his hand. "Vegeta, let me go! What the hell is wrong with you? I'm not a fucking whore!" she yelled. He only squeezed her neck tighter. Bulma wheezed and continued to struggle in his grasp. She caught sight of his eyes and stopped moving momentarily. The sclera of his right eye was black, given the illusion that his eye was a black hole. The blackness was starting to creep in to his left eye. "Vegeta!" she screamed but it came out as more of a hoarse whisper.

The prince's grip loosened on Bulma as her voice broke through his clouded mind. He realized what he was doing and immediately retracted his hand. Bulma inhaled sharply, trying to get air into her burning lungs. She turned her head to the side, sputtering and coughing. "Breathe in slowly, woman," he said quietly as he moved back away from her. He tentatively reached forward to help her sit up. She smacked his hand away.

"Give me a moment," she whispered. Her lungs were still burning and her neck was killing her. She could already feel the bruises forming. Once her breathing was under control, Bulma sat up and pulled her knees up under her.

Vegeta was taken by surprise as she took hold of the sides of his face to hold his head still. She stared directly into his eyes without saying a word. She was making him slightly nervous. He could feel Bulma in his mind and he tried to keep it blank. Bulma sighed as she released him and scooted back on the bed. She gave him a weary look. "What, woman?"

"What just happened, Vegeta?"

Vegeta huffed and looked away from her. "Nothing."

Bulma's eyes widened and she scoffed indignantly. " _Nothing_? You call that  _nothing_? Vegeta, you nearly choked me to death! My neck is going to be three different colors in the morning! And... you called me a  _whore_! What the hell was that about?" Her voice had gotten progressively louder. When she saw Vegeta was just staring angrily at the wall, she took a few deep breaths and scooted so that she was sitting behind him. She touched his shoulder and he flinched but did not move away from her. "Vegeta, what's going on?" She noticed his tension and gently ran her hand through his upright mane.

The prince sat with his arms crossed and remained silent. Bulma waited patiently and continued to stroke his hair. As expected, the action relaxed him and he leaned back into her. Soon, Bulma was sitting with Vegeta's head in her lap. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep. Bulma continued to look down at him. His face was still tense even though the rest of the tension had left his body.

"I think I'm losing my mind," Vegeta whispered.

Bulma blinked a few times but did not stop stroking his hair. It seemed to be calming him and making him more receptive to answering her questions. "Care to elaborate further?"

Vegeta opened his eyes and looked up at Bulma. "Sometimes I wake up and I forget. Then it's almost as if I'm having an out-of-body experience; like I'm looking down at myself. I'm aware of what my body is doing, but I cannot act to stop it."

"How often has this been happening, Vegeta?" Bulma had a feeling that it had been happening for a while. Vegeta had just been  _handling_  it in his own way. "You should've told me sooner," she said.

"There wasn't a need for you to know."

"I think I have a right to know if you're going to open your eyes one day and attempt to kill me."

Vegeta snorted and closed his eyes again. "Tomorrow, you will do it." His tone did not leave any room for discussion.

Bulma sighed. She could outright refuse, but she knew that would only cause problems in the future. Neither had told anyone about Bulma's visions with Vegeta. Together, they had gathered that he was possibly responsible for the likely destruction of the Ark. "I will do it, but I will do it on  _my_  terms, Vegeta. You cannot tell me how much I can seal."

"If that is what you wish."

"And another thing," Bulma paused as Vegeta open his eyes, "I need you to power up completely."

Vegeta sat up quickly. He nearly threw Bulma back with his speed. The prince stood up and began pacing in the darkness. "Woman, you know I can't do that. You wouldn't even be able to touch me, let alone get close enough. Even though I'm still getting stronger, I can't handle my full power yet."

"Your body has not caught up with your ki. Besides, I'm the only person who can get close to you when you're in that state. I can do it. You just have to trust me." Bulma moved to the edge of the bed and continued to watch him pace like a caged animal. She could tell he was anxious without even needing to read him. With the way it was thrashing about, his tail gave him away. "Vegeta..."

"I'm thinking, woman!" he snapped. After a few minutes, the prince stopped pacing and glared at Bulma. "If something goes wrong, everyone here will die."

"Who's the one with so little faith in my abilities now? " Bulma shook her head. "Nothing will go wrong. Watch."

* * *

Kinomi stood up in the training room. She flexed her fingers in the white wrist wraps that she'd just finished putting on. Dressed in a form-fitting cropped shirt, spandex shorts, and no shoes, Kinomi began stretching. Across the room, Raditz leaned against the wall. He was also dressed similarly to Kinomi sans a shirt.

"You ready?" Kinomi asked as she finished stretching. She walked to the middle of the room.

Raditz started walking towards her. "Your hair won't get in your way, munchkin?" he asked. The princess had neglected to braid her hair. Raditz could only assume that since Chichi was too busy tending to her newborn that she had no time to help Kinomi braid the massive amount of hair she had.

"Your hair is just as long, Raditz. And stop calling me that. I'm not  _that_  short." Kinomi looked up at Raditz as he stopped directly in front of her. In comparison to him, she was minuscule. "Shut up! We can't all be giants like you. Besides, my size gives me an advantage."

"Is that so? Well, why don't you show me this ad..." Raditz was taken off guard as Kinomi swept his feet from under him. He fell forward and she was standing again in less than a second. Before Raditz recover, she stepped on the back of his head, holding him down.

"You were saying?" she asked with a laugh. She heard him growl and he stood up suddenly, nearly throwing Kinomi off her feet. She dropped into her fighting stance and watched him with narrowed eyes.

"Remember not to use your ki, munchkin." Raditz followed suit, smiling deviously at the smaller girl.

"I said stop calling me that!"

Vegeta and Bulma walked up to the door of the training room. Hearing sounds from beyond the door, he checked to see if the gravity was on. It was not engaged. Vegeta found it strange that anyone would train without the gravity being on. Mentally shrugging it off, he pulled to door open. Just as he was taking a step forward, Raditz went flying past him. Kinomi followed after him, tackling him to the floor.

Bulma followed Vegeta in. She saw the spar going on between Kinomi and Raditz. They did not look like they were using any type of ki for even shields from their blows. Raditz tossed Kinomi from him and followed her airborne body to the other side of the room. Vegeta pulled Bulma out of their way and into the observation room. Bulma let him guide her, but she continued to watch Kinomi and Raditz. She'd never seen any of the Saiyans fight without the use of their ki before.

"Isn't this dangerous? Couldn't they seriously hurt each other? It doesn't look like they're pulling punches." She flinched as Kinomi took Raditz down by the neck using her legs. As he was falling, Raditz grabbed Kinomi's left ankle and threw her in the air. Kinomi rebounded off the wall and tried to elbow him. Raditz countered her attack with a kick to the gut. "I mean, this is just a fistfight; a really brutal fistfight."

Vegeta watched the proceedings with mild interest. Bulma was right; it was rare for any of them to spar without protecting themselves with their ki. He could see that though their hands and feet were wrapped, they were still being bruised. He was mildly impressed with his younger sister's ability to take on people much larger than her. Like him, she certainly used her size well. Raditz seemed quite prepared for all her tricks, though. He heard Bulma giggle and looked over at her.

"What are you chuckling about, woman?"

"These two." Bulma nudged Vegeta to look back at the spar. Kinomi was on Raditz's shoulders with her legs wrapped around his neck. He was going from wall to wall, trying to knock her off of him. "Is this the way Saiyans flirt with each other?"

The prince raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what  _flirt_  meant, but he could take a few guesses. He narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch the bout between Kinomi and Raditz. They were now crouching away from each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Both had their tails free from their waists, flicking from side to side in anticipation and amusement. Kinomi was the first to move. Raditz followed her example. The princess stayed low until Raditz was right on top of her. Then she kicked her legs up in a handstand, split her legs, and spun around. She managed to kick Raditz in the head a few times.

The fight went on a few more minutes before Raditz trapped the princess on the floor. He held both of her arms behind her back and she squirmed to try and get out of his hold. She was throwing all kinds of curses at him and he just laughed at her.

"You could either concede or you could use your ki to free yourself. You lose either way, munchkin."

"When I get up, I'm going to kick your ass." Kinomi continued her struggling.

"Let her go." Vegeta came out of the observation room with Bulma tailing him. Raditz released Kinomi and the princess got to her feet quickly. Vegeta looked them both over. Each was bloodied and bruised, but looked as if they could fight for hours more. "Go clean yourselves up. Tell everyone to stay away from this room no matter what happens."

Kinomi frowned as she wiped blood from her split lip. "Stay away? Why?"

"Just do as I say." Vegeta turned away from the other two and continued to the center of the large room. Raditz and Kinomi looked at Bulma who just shrugged. They followed Vegeta's orders and vacated the room quickly.

Bulma listened for the door to close before stepping up in front of Vegeta. He crossed his arms and looked down his nose at her. Bulma stared at his chest for a moment. She was not sure how she was going to go about sealing his power, but she needed to know how much to seal. The only way to do that was have Vegeta power up all the way.  _But can I keep him from blowing himself up?_  She mentally shook her head.  _I can't think like that. I can do this. I just need to concentrate_.

"Are you sure about this?" Vegeta's voice broke through her reverie. Bulma looked up at him and nodded. "Don't let me die, woman."

She slapped Vegeta's arm when she saw the smirk on his face. "That is not funny, Vegeta," Bulma said. Vegeta shrugged and exhaled slowly. Then he began his power up.

* * *

Turles and Kakarrot looked up from their bowls of food when they felt Vegeta's ki spike. They looked at one another and exchanged questioning looks. Just as they were about to get up, Raditz and Kinomi came into the kitchen. The twins looked even more confused when they saw the condition that the two were in.

"What the hell happened to you two?" Turles asked through a mouth full of food.

Raditz was going to ignore his brother but thought better of it. Turles would just keep pestering him until he answered. "We sparred without ki. Don't go in the training room. Vegeta said to keep out no matter what."

Kakarrot slurped the rest of the soup out of his bowl. He could feel Vegeta's ki getting higher and higher. The prince was already nearing the point where he lost control only two months before. Vegeta had made great gains in that amount of time. However, as much as the prince became accustomed to his new power, it was still rising faster than his body could handle. "But what if his ki gets too high? Nobody will be able to stop him."

"No one except Bulma," Kinomi murmured as she took a bite out of a loaf of bread. "She's in there with him."

* * *

Bulma was inside Vegeta's aura. It was becoming almost unbearable hot. As his ki continued to rise, she could tell he was starting to struggle with his control. "Just let it come, Vegeta. Don't stop." She tried to sound as calm as possible, but she knew her voice was shaking. Even though she could not sense ki the way the others could, there was a different type of sense she got from him. It was almost animal in nature; primal and pure. She could see the pain starting to etch across his face, but he tried to remain stoic. Bulma wrapped her arms around his body. "Just let it come," she whispered.

Vegeta was having a hard time letting go. For so long he'd been trying to rein it in; to keep it under control. Now Bulma was telling him to _just let go_. He was not sure if his body could handle it. Then Bulma squeezed him. She laid her head against his chest. He could feel her heartbeat and subconsciously tried to match her breathing pattern. The pain started to dissipate slowly as he raised his ki higher and higher. Vegeta thought his power was starting to level off, but it was still rising. He looked down at the woman holding him tightly.

"Woman?" He nudged her with his tail. Bulma looked up at him. Her eyes matched the color of his aura. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Keep going." Bulma gave him a small smile. She did not know how she was doing it, but she was absorbing Vegeta's ki and helping him to steadily power up. There was no wild variation like before.

The prince noticed his aura flashing gold every now and then. Every time it did, there was a pain at the back of his mind. His power up suddenly stalled. He could feel that there was more, but it was inaccessible. He tried to bring it out, but he couldn't. It felt like it was just sitting in his body, begging to be released.  _What is it? Why can't I_...

"Power down slowly, Vegeta," he heard Bulma say. He looked down at her and did as she said. Bulma inhaled as Vegeta powered down. His body started to cool. "Stop at a point that you think is... safe."

 _Safe_? Vegeta knew what she meant. What was a point where he could defend himself adequately against most people, but be taken down by only a select few?  _I could make it so that at least Kakarrot has a chance at stopping me_ , he mused to himself.

"That sounds like a good idea," Bulma whispered from her spot. Her eyes were closed and her breathing and heart rate were still stable. "Stop it there."

Vegeta grunted his answer and slowed his power down gradually. He got to the point where he wanted to stop and held his ki steady at that point. He noticed Bulma began to squeeze him a bit tighter. As she exhaled, Vegeta's aura dissipated. Vegeta's ki returned to normal. Bulma released him and took a step back. The two stared at one another in silence.

* * *

"It is done."

Tintissi clasped her hands together as she saw the signal reach full capacity just as Frieza's call came through. The moment she turned on the video call, she clapped happily. Frieza just looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "We have been successful, Lord Frieza. The signal is at full strength and waiting for your orders." She sounded far too happy.

Frieza nodded. He looked down at the small console Tintissi had given him. It came to life as it began to download everything about the chip. "I will be able to send orders from this?"

"Yes, my lord. They'll be sent and received as if they are thoughts. You can start any day now."

The overlord smiled evilly and cut off the transmission. He examined the small console that fit right into the armrest of his floating chair.  _Such a little thing can contain so much power. Amazing_ , he mused with a smug smirk.

"Zarbon," Frieza called.

Zarbon stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, my lord?"

"Set a course back to Planet Twelve. I still have some research to do."

* * *

At only 3 months old, Gohan was a very active baby. While he could not walk yet, he was a very fast crawler. Bulma had been surprised at the growth rate of the Saiyan baby. He was easily the size of a baby four times his age. She had learned the hard way that Saiyan babies still had ridiculous strength. While holding him, little Gohan had managed to grab some of her hair. Once he got hold of it, it was hell getting him to relinquish his grip.

Bulma came out of her room to see Gohan sitting in the middle of the hallway. He was gnawing on what appeared to be a boot. She could hear Chichi yelling at Kakarrot about something.  _Sounds like they can't find Gohan_ , Bulma thought with a smile. She walked over to Gohan and swept him up in her arms.

"You're getting really heavy, big boy," Bulma said, ruffling his hair. The baby giggled before returning to his gnawing. Bulma recognized the boot and snorted. "If Vegeta sees what you've done to his boot he'll probably kick your father's butt." She started walking towards the room Chichi and Kakarrot shared.

Chichi was letting Kakarrot have it. "I asked you to watch Gohan for ten minutes, Kakarrot! How did you manage to  _lose_  him?"

"I just... lost track of him. He crawls really fast and you know how he likes to explore," Kakarrot said. "Besides, Gohan doesn't need so much coddling. Saiyan babies are tougher than most."

As Bulma neared the door, she could tell that had been decidedly the wrong thing to say. She heard Chichi roar and the sound of metal hitting something rang out. Kakarrot ran out of the room as Chichi went on another tirade. She followed after her mate and saw Bulma standing there with her son. Bulma whispered to Gohan and the baby turned to look at his mother.

"Ma!" Gohan dropped the boot and began reaching out for his mother.

Chichi ran over to Bulma and took the baby off her hands. "Thank you, Bulma. Where'd you find him?"

"He was just sitting out here chewing on Vegeta's boot." Bulma picked the boot up and examined it. Gohan had gnawed a big hole into the toe of the boot. "Those are some pretty sharp teeth he has. I don't think Vegeta will be too happy to see the condition of his boot."

"He'll get over it." Chichi shrugged and looked down at Gohan. "Let's go start dinner for all the useless hungry men!" she cooed.

* * *

Juu sat up suddenly when she heard banging on the door of her apartment. Most were already asleep in B-block, unless you were in one of taverns. Who could possibly be at her door at this hour? The loud knocking continued as Juu put on a shirt and headed for the door. When she opened it, she paused in shock as someone rushed past her into her apartment. Frowning, she shut the door and turned around.. "Just come right on in, Vegeta. What can I do for you?" She crossed her arms.

Vegeta ignored her sarcastic tone and mimicked her stance. "You should evacuate the Ark now," he said bluntly.

The android blinked a few times. "An evacuation? Vegeta, it's in the middle of the night. Can't it at least wait until morning?" Juu yawned.

The prince shook his head. "I'm already fighting to keep my mind. I don't know how much longer before I succumb to whatever is happening to me," he said.

Squinting, Juu turned the lights on. She noticed how pained Vegeta looked. He looked like he had not been getting much sleep. Sighing, she nodded. "I can't start it tonight, but I can do it first thing in the morning. Will you be coming with us?"

"No." His answer came quicker than Juu thought it would. Vegeta saw the questioning look she gave him. "It would be counterproductive for me to come. It would be better that I not know anything about where you all will be going. Don't tell me."

"If that is what you wish," she said. She watched Vegeta walk around her back to the door. "But what will you do? Where will you go?"

Vegeta stopped before he walked out the door. He turned his head slightly. "I don't know." He left.

Juu stood there for a moment. Then she shrugged and headed back to her bedroom. She had a big morning.  _I can already sense the mass hysteria and anger. But, it is best that he warned me so soon. We need the least amount of casualties as possible_.

* * *

Vegeta made his way back to E-block quickly. He went straight for the training room, intent on training until he could no longer stand. If he was tired, he could not cause as much damage and possibly be restrained. His hand hovered over the button to open the door. He extended his senses momentarily. Everyone was in their rooms. Bulma was not in hers. She was in his. He turned back around to look at the door to his room. Sighing, he headed towards it.

She was lying on her side in his bed. Vegeta had discarded his comforter long ago and only had a regular sheet over his bed. Bulma was wrapped in it and sleeping soundly. He walked to the side of the bed where Bulma was sleeping and kneeled down. Her face was partially covered by her hair. Vegeta reached forward and gently moved some of it away from her face.

"Where have you been?" she whispered. Vegeta pulled his hand back quickly. He saw her open her blue eyes. For a moment, they glowed in the dark. The glow subsided quickly and Bulma sat up slowly. "You've been gone all day," she said.

The prince shrugged. He stood up and walked away from her. "I just went for a walk around the Ark," he stated emotionlessly. He walked across the room, pulling his shirt off. He tossed it into a chute. He began removing his boots and gloves. Then he went for his pants. Vegeta could feel Bulma watching him. Before he finished undressing, he looked over at her. "Why are you staring at me, woman? And why are you in my room?" His voice was harsher than he intended it to be, but it did not seem to affect Bulma.

She just smiled. "The answer to your first question is because you are beautiful. The answer to the second question is because it is yours. Anything else you wish to know, my prince?"

"Spare me your sentimentality, woman." Vegeta shut off the light that was on and stalked over to the bed in all his naked glory. Only the emergency light remained on. He felt strangely self-conscious, knowing she was watching his every move. He sat down on the bed and yanked some of the sheet from her. Bulma raised her arms and allowed him to take some. Vegeta laid down and turned over, showing his back to Bulma.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "What is wrong, Vegeta?" she asked. She already knew she was probably going to have to drag the answer out of him. His stubbornness knew no limits.

"Go to sleep, woman," came the curt reply.

"Prince Vegeta, if you do not tell me what is on your mind I will be forced to suffocate you with this pillow." Bulma pulled his pillow from beneath his head and lightly hit him with it. He sat up immediately and faced her. She giggled at the glare he gave her. Any other person would probably experience some sort of apprehension in their next actions. Bulma simply hit him with the pillow again while still laughing. "Tell me what's wrong."

Vegeta yanked the pillow away from her and threw it back on the bed. He laid back down, this time on his back. He let out a long sigh. "I told the blonde woman to evacuate the Ark in the morning," he replied.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Why? Nothing has happened. You're still... you. Aren't you?"

"For the time being. The episodes are coming more frequently and are lasting longer. It is best if I am alone when I finally lose myself."

After a long silence between them, Bulma laid down beside him. She moved closer and put her head on his shoulder. "Do you think Frieza is behind this?" she asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Who else, woman?"

Bulma closed her eyes. She had another question, but she already knew the answer. Vegeta would make her leave with the others. She had no desire to leave him; to let him descend into madness alone. However, she knew she could not stay. He'd already tried to kill her once.

"Stop with the tears, woman," Vegeta snapped. In the darkness, he saw her wipe her face quickly. She was unknowingly projecting her thoughts through their contact. She did not want to leave him but she knew it was out of the question that she stay. She was not even going attempt to ask. "I think it is best if you do not go to a base."

Bulma opened her eyes. "But that is where everyone else is going. We're all supposed to spread to the other bases. Why not us?"

"Go somewhere that isn't under the PTO."

"But how will..."

"Just do as I say, woman." Again, it came out harsher than he intended it to. His answer was final and Bulma nodded slowly. She started to move back to her side of the bed. Vegeta cursed inwardly. He stopped her before she could roll over onto her side. He moved on top of her and buried his head in her neck. She began to lazily stroke his hair as he scented her. He pulled back and kissed her roughly, parting her legs with his knee.

As he took her, Bulma held him. She dug her nails into his back. She did not want to let him go.  _But I must_. Before she knew it, tears were running down her face again. She knew he would not approve, but at the moment she did not care. She heard him growl and looked up at him.

"You're so needlessly sentimental, woman." He leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. "You already know we meet again."

Bulma sniffled. "But..."

"No matter the circumstances, we meet again." Vegeta stopped anything else she had to say by kissing her again. Bulma sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Vegeta's tail squeezed her thigh. "I'll always know you. Remember that."

* * *

A tremor startled Bulma out of her sleep and she fell off the bed. With a groan, she sat up and rubbed her aching arm.  _What the hell was that_? She got to her knees and looked around the room. Predictably, she was alone. She took a glance at the clock. It was still very early; even for Vegeta to be up training. She'd been asleep at the most 3 hours. Another tremor shook the Ark. Realization dawned on her.  _Vegeta_... She got to her feet and began to dress.

Nappa stumbled out of his room. The hallway was still dark as the tremors became more frequent. He was passing Kinomi's room when the door flew open and the small Saiyan fell into him as another tremor shook the Ark. Nappa deftly caught her and sat her right on her feet.

"What was that?" Kinomi asked. Nappa shrugged. He extended his senses to feel for the disturbance. Before it could be voiced, the lavender-haired woman voiced it for him as she came out of Vegeta's room.

"It's Vegeta!" Bulma yelled. She was hopping as she put on her boots. "You guys have to evacuate now. Go to the ship and punch in a destination that isn't in the PTO."

"Blue, what's going on? Where's Vegeta?" Kinomi asked.

"There's no time to explain right now. Just go. I'll catch up. Do not follow me. Just do as I say and do it quickly." Bulma turned and ran towards the exit. She opened the door and ran out towards the elevators.

Kinomi shook her head. "What was she talking about? Where is Vegeta?" she asked as she glanced up at Nappa. He was still staring off in the direction that Bulma had run off in. "Nappa?"

Nappa looked down at her. "Vegeta... Something is off with his ki."

* * *

 _He wasn't kidding_ , Juu thought as she oversaw the evacuation of B-block. She'd gotten reports that Vegeta was in D-block. She could only assume while he had been sane enough to do so, he'd taken himself to the least-populated block of the Ark. D-block was mainly used for storage and luckily they'd managed to move most of their armaments to the evacuation ships. She felt sorry for the people in the block that he was slaughtering, but there was nothing she could do about it now.  _I can only save who's left_.

"What the hell is going on, Juu?" Yamcha came up beside her. "Are we under attack or something?"

"That would be correct. Go to C-block. I need you to lead the evacuation ships. Krillyn is leading the ships in A-block. I'm leading these," she answered.

Yamcha nodded. He started to walk away but turned around. "What about D-block and E-block?"

Juu looked in his direction. "Zangya and the others will lead the E-block ships. The Saiyans will leave on their own ship. D-block," she took a deep breath, "is lost to us." She saw Yamcha's eyes widen. He said nothing but turned around to follow the orders she gave him.

* * *

Vegeta stepped on a skull. He frowned when he looked down and saw the blood on his usually pristine boot. He looked up and around him. He had no idea where he was. All he knew was that he was on some sort of space station or arcology. He did not know why he was there. Had he been captured? His hand went to his left temple. There was an ache in that area. Had someone experimented on him?

Gunshots rang out from behind Vegeta. He turned around quickly and caught one of the bullets. The others simply bounced off of him. He turned his eyes to the shooter. It was a humanoid female alien with red skin. She was holding the gun firmly and frowning at him. Vegeta tossed the bullet to the side and began approaching the woman. She continued to pull the trigger, unleashing many rounds on him. By the time she realized it was futile, Vegeta was right on her. He grabbed her wrist and twisted.

* * *

Bulma heard an ear-piercing scream as the tunnel doors opened to the common area of D-block. She coughed as she stepped out into the area. There was no one around; no one alive. She glanced around at the partially incinerated bodies. The sight of the bodies is not what made her sick. It was the fact that she knew who had done the deed.

 _Vegeta did this. He did all of_ this, she thought. Another scream was heard and Bulma snapped out of her reverie and began running towards the source. The screams became more frequent and even sounded as if they were getting louder. Bulma pushed herself to run faster. She turned a corner and stopped.

Vegeta was holding a woman against the wall. He had one of the woman's hands in his own hand. Three of her fingers were bent in odd angles. Her ring finger was between Vegeta's thumb and index finger. Bulma saw him whisper something to her and she shook her head fervently. With a smirk, Vegeta snapped the bones in the woman's finger. The woman screamed again.

"Stop it!" Bulma yelled. She began stalking towards the prince. Vegeta's head had turned in her direction. Bulma swallowed. She knew she was taking a gamble but it had to be done. "Let her go!"

The prince raised an eyebrow at the pretty lavender-haired woman's audacity. Who was she to command him to stop? Did she not know who he was; of his reputation? Vegeta released the red woman and she sank to the ground, holding her mangled hand. He gave the pretty woman his full attention and started approaching her.

"You dare to give me commands, woman?" he asked.

Bulma flinched at the lack of emotion in his voice. It was such a deadpan, uncaring tone that it frightened her. She watched Vegeta approach her. "It seemed to have worked. You definitely obeyed my command." She tried to keep the fear out of her voice. She knew Vegeta could sense everything from her. The art of intimidation was what he excelled at. She had to show him she did not fear him or his actions.

"You're very bold. Tell me where I am, woman," he said coldly. He continued to approach her slowly.

"This is the Ark. You're on a planet with an atmosphere you cannot breathe in and will burn in. If you destroy this place, you will die," Bulma answered slowly. Vegeta stopped a few feet from her. She did not take her eyes off of him.

 _Run! Get up and run! Get away now_! Bulma warned the red woman who was in tears behind Vegeta. The woman stopped crying and looked around her.  _Do as I say! Get away from here as fast as you can!_ Bulma's voice finally spurred the woman into action. She got up and took off in the opposite direction.

Fortunately, Vegeta was too preoccupied with Bulma to care about the red woman. Bulma sighed with relief when she heard the woman leave. "Stop this destruction now, Vegeta."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. She knew his name. He squinted as he looked into her eyes. She seemed familiar. Where did he know her from? Did she just give him another order? Before she could move, Vegeta phased in front of her and took her by the neck. "You will stop ordering me around, woman."

The pressure he was putting on her neck was unbearable. Bulma clawed at his hand. "Let me go, Vegeta. Please..." Bulma choked out. Vegeta did not heed her. Instead, he squeezed harder. Bulma felt sure she was going to die until the pressure was suddenly gone and she slumped to the ground. She looked up and saw someone standing in front of her protectively.

Kakarrot watched as Vegeta recovered from the punch he'd just dealt him. The prince's ki shield around his body had been relatively weak.  _That was careless. Vegeta is almost never that relaxed_ , he thought. It was just more proof that his prince was not in his right mind. Vegeta had warned him about what could happen and that if he needed to be stopped to stop him.

Vegeta stood up straight and wiped the blood from his mouth. He glared up at his attacker. His face was also familiar, but he could not place it. "You're here to protect that bitch?"

Bulma turned her head towards Vegeta. Her sore neck forgotten, she got to her feet. "Who the hell do you think you're calling a  _bitch_?" She tried to go around Kakarrot but his arm stopped her.

"Such a feisty whore... Your only place is beneath me, writhing as I peel the skin from your flesh." The prince blinked when he finished speaking. It was as if even he was appalled at what he said. He saw the lavender-haired female's hand coming towards him and deftly caught it. He turned his glare towards her.

She was shocked that she had even attempted to slap him. She did not even realize that she'd somehow gotten past Kakarrot. She heard the other Saiyan move behind her. Vegeta yanked her forward and turned her around. He held her to his chest with one hand around her neck. Kakarrot did not move when he heard the low growl coming from Vegeta.

"Come any closer and I'll snap her tiny neck," Vegeta said. He thought she would smell of fear, but she did not. She just stood perfectly still. The most she was doing was taking deep breaths. Vegeta inhaled and froze.

Bulma felt his grip loosen on her as he scented her. This was what she had hoped would happen. If he just scented her, maybe she could bring him back to their side. Maybe she could help him. He released her roughly and pushed her away. Bulma stumbled into Kakarrot's arms. She turned to face Vegeta.

"Get her away from here, Kakarrot!" Vegeta yelled. Kakarrot obeyed and grabbed Bulma around the waist. She fought to get out of his grasp and somehow managed to.

 _How is she so strong_? Kakarrot wondered as Bulma again escaped his grasp. It felt like she almost had Saiyan strength.

"Vegeta!" she yelled, still fighting off Kakarrot. She kicked and punch at him, trying to get to the prince. "Vegeta, look at me!"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Vegeta sank to the ground and held his arms. His aura ignited as he was consumed by the pain in his head. He was losing the battle to keep his sanity. He could hear Bulma yelling for him. " **GET HER THE FUCK OUT OF HERE NOW, KAKARROT**!" the prince bellowed.

Realizing how dire the situation was becoming, Kakarrot swiftly struck Bulma on the side of her neck. She went limp and he caught her before she hit the ground. He hoisted her over his shoulder and took one last look at Vegeta. Then he phased away. He had to get back to E-block.

* * *

Chichi tapped her foot in annoyance. She stood outside their ship waiting for Kakarrot to return. When she saw him coming, she released a sigh of relief. She gasped when she saw he was carrying an unconscious Bulma. She walked forward. "Is she okay? What happened? Where's Vegeta?"

"Vegeta isn't coming. We need to leave now," he said without breaking his stride. Chichi slowed down. Kakarrot realized she was not beside him anymore and turned around. "Let's go, Chichi! We have to leave now!"

"We can't leave Vegeta, Kakarrot! You want to leave our prince behind?"

Sighing, Kakarrot briefly thought about knocking her out like Bulma. Chichi was too fast and would see it coming a mile away, though. "Listen. It's a long story and I'll tell you as soon as we get away from here. We need to leave. Okay?" he pleaded. Chichi bit her lip but she nodded. She walked past him onto the ship. Kakarrot exhaled and followed her quickly. As soon as he was on the ship, it started up.

* * *

Zarbon received a message in his scouter. He pressed a button to receive it. The message took him by surprise. Once his confusion passed, he turned towards his master. "Lord Frieza, Vegeta just contacted me. He is on his way to Planet Twelve."

The overlord chuckled to himself. "That's wonderful news, Zarbon. It pleases me to hear that one of my favorites is coming... home," he said. Frieza looked over at Zarbon. "Isn't that great news, Zarbon?"

Zarbon was surprised at how pleased sounded. "I suppose it is, my lord."

"When Vegeta gets back, send him to me. There is much work to be done."


	21. Apart

Several of Frieza's soldiers dropped to the ground, dead. Blood poured from the bullet holes in their bodies. Hasky, one of Juu's ladies, ran past them towards the control room of the base. She kicked the door down as another explosion rocked the underground building. How had they found this place? It was one of the best concealed bases within the resistance. The planet, Nyx, was only inhabited by wild animals and largely with a rainforest-like climate. It was nearly impossible to find anything in the thick brush that surrounded the planet.

 _Well somehow they found out about this place._ _ **HE**_ _found out_ , Hasky thought as she put her gun in one of the holsters on her right leg. She turned on the recorder and began leaving a message. She began encrypting it and got ready to send it off.

"Looks like they missed one."

Hasky froze and cursed under her breath. She did not move as she heard the footsteps behind her. Glancing down at the button to send the message, she took a deep breath. With her left hand she smashed the button down. She drew one of her guns with her right hand and started shooting as she turned. She cursed when she realized they had no effect.  _Damn armor_ , she thought.

"A limiter. Interesting. I'd always wanted to test this new armor out. You're the only person who's been smart enough to try the limiter. You'd think by now they'd realize that their puny lasers and bullets have no effect on me."

The limiter fell from Hasky's hand when his right hand closed around her wrist. He used the other to hold her head in place by her chin. Hasky had been informed that his power was severely limited. However, only one person in the entire resistance was powerful enough to fight him. Sadly, that person was not on Nyx.

"Just hurry up and get it over with," Hasky said.

His eyes narrowed even more. Then he smirked. "Why would I do that? I still need some information from you." With a swift motion of his hand, he crushed the cluster of bones in Hasky's wrist. She inhaled sharply but did not scream. "Hmm. Usually that's all it takes to earn a scream. You're tougher than your male counterparts."

"I'm not telling you shit so you might as well save yourself the trouble," Hasky whispered defiantly. She knew what he did to those he caught. She'd prepared herself for it the moment he arrived.

He feigned sadness. "You have two hundred and six bones in your body. I could snap each one of them; some two or three times. I'm in no particular rush. I have all the time in the galaxy."

"What's the point? You'll just kill me anyway."

His face twisted into one of irritation. He pulled her closer to his face, looking in her eyes. They were turquoise and narrow. "If you'd done your research properly on me you'd know I don't kill the women I come across; at least not directly."

Hasky's expression turned into one of confusion. Before she could inquire as to what he meant, she gasped as her thumb's metacarpal and snapped in two. She bit her lip to keep from screaming. After gathering herself, she looked back at him. "Then what do you do with them? I don't recall any of my friends surviving you. You've left more men alive."

"I need someone to tell the tale," he said dryly. He broke the proximal phalanx in her thumb as easily as he would snap his fingers. Hasky squeezed her eyes shut. She refused to give him the satisfaction of screaming. "I'm really impressed. By now the men are practically singing with the information I asked for. I actually have to ask them to repeat it."

"What did you do with them?" Hasky whispered.

He snapped the final bone in her thumb without blinking. "I give them to Frieza. Trust me. They're still alive. You're attractive. He might actually let you do real work." He snapped every bone in her index and middle fingers in such quick succession that Hasky had no time to recover from each break. By the time he snapped the second bone in her middle finger, she was screaming. "What a beautiful voice you have."

Hasky's scream died down and she tried to get out of his grip. She knew it was futile. He was barely holding her and she could not move. She managed to pull a gun from her holster and hold it to his head.  _He let me do it_. He was smirking at her. For the first time, she really looked into his eyes. They were completely black; empty and soulless. She wondered how could even see.  _He's no different from Frieza. He's a monster_.

He watched as the gun started to shake in Hasky's hand. It finally fell from her fingers and her arm lowered slowly. Tears ran down her face. He smiled a smile that could only be described as manic. "I knew you'd see it my way."

* * *

Bulma inhaled sharply as she sat up. The shutters were still closed in her room, signaling that it was not yet  _morning_. She felt something warm running down her face. She touched her cheek and saw that it was tears. She'd been crying in her sleep again. Bulma knew she was too spooked to go back to sleep so she decided to get up and get dressed.

Stepping out into the hallway, she heard snoring coming from the room directly across from her. She shook her head.  _I have no idea how Chichi can sleep next to Kakarrot when he sounds like that_ , she thought. Bulma did a mental check on everyone in the house and saw that they were all still asleep. Satisfied, she went to the front door of the house and stepped outside. The house was located inside a cave.

As expected, it was very bright outside. Bulma had gotten used to living on a planet with 3 suns. It did not look like anyone else was around. She turned to her left and began walking towards the large body of water. When she got there, she sat down and looked out over the water.

Namek. She was on a planet called Namek. When they had arrived 5 years earlier, she immediately recognized it from the visions she had. Since arriving, she waited for the inevitable day that she would meet Vegeta again. She missed him. It did not help that she had been sleeping poorly for years due to the graphic dreams she had. They hardly qualified as dreams, though. The more she had them the more she realized that they were not dreams.

 _I'm seeing what he does_ , she thought morbidly. She'd seen destruction and death so vividly through his eyes. They were terrible and she had not told anyone about them, but she figured everyone already knew something was wrong with her. Bulma put on a happy face though, however transparent it was.

Bulma pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "He said we would meet again. How long before we do?" she whispered to herself.

She was so consumed with her thoughts that she did not hear someone approaching her from behind. She jumped when Kinomi sat down next to her and mimicked her position. Bulma looked at her, surprised that she had not sensed Kinomi coming. The younger girl said nothing and just stared out at the water.

"Why are you up so early?" Kinomi asked after 5 minutes of silence.

Bulma's answer was too quick for Kinomi's taste. "Just couldn't sleep. Doesn't help that Kakarrot's snoring could wake the dead," she replied.

 _Bullshit_ , Kinomi thought. She gave Bulma a sideways glance. After 5 years, she was no longer fooled by Bulma's façade. She had wanted to confront the older woman long ago about what she was keeping from everyone.  _It can't be healthy to keep everything inside like that_.

"You're a terrible liar, Blue." Kinomi got to her feet and ruffled Bulma's shortened hair. After their first year on Namek, Bulma had cut her hair short. Her excuse then was that it was easier to manage. Another bullshit answer to Kinomi. It obviously reminded her too much of Vegeta. "Chichi is finished with breakfast. Feel free to come join us... whenever." She walked back in the direction of the house.

Bulma watched Kinomi leave. Then she turned back towards the water. She would go inside soon.  _Just a few more minutes alone_.

* * *

The Saiyans were going to their seats at the table in the house when Kinomi returned. She took her place between Raditz and Tarble. Chichi sat the last of the food on the table. Everyone waited until she went to her seat at the head of the table. Once she picked up her fork, the others began filling their plates with food. There grumbles of "pass the" every now and then. Other than that, it was mostly a silent affair.

Chichi looked to her left and saw her son stuffing his face at what had to be the speed of light. He was getting more food on his face than in his mouth. "Gohan, stop eating like your heathen uncles!" she said loudly.

The 5-year-old looked up and wiped his mouth. "Sorry, Mom."

"I resent being called a  _heathen_ ," Turles said from his seat. He glared down at Chichi who returned his glare with more ferocity. He got the message and averted his eyes. He glanced over at Kinomi. "Did you tell Bulma to come eat? She won't get any if she doesn't come soon."

"Chichi set food aside for Bulma, idiot. We're not so stupid as to expect you all to leave some food for her," Kinomi said through a mouth full of food. She heard Chichi clear her throat loudly and gazed at her. Kinomi opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, balancing food on her tongue. Chichi huffed and looked away from her.

Raditz snickered next to Kinomi. "You shouldn't provoke Chichi, munchkin. You know her temper," he whispered to her.

"Don't care." Kinomi swallowed her food. "Are we training outside or in the gravity room today?"

"I was thinking of doing a little ki-less training outside today. It's a beautiful day," Kakarrot piped in.

"Kakarrot, it's always a beautiful day," Turles said with a roll of his eyes. "The suns never fucking set on in this damn planet."

"Turles!" Chichi could occasionally excuse their eating habits, but she would not tolerate them speaking that way in front of Gohan. The little boy was still so impressionable and he picked up quickly on his uncles' foul language; Turles being the worst offender.

Turles shrugged. "Ears," he said. Gohan sat his fork down and obeyed his uncle. The conversation continued on. Being Saiyan, Gohan could still hear everything they said and Turles knew that. But, it appeased Chichi and they were willing to do anything to keep her from yelling at them.

Bulma opened the door to the house quietly. She heard the conversation going on in the dining room. She seriously considered going back to her room without eating. She went to the kitchen and paused. A plate of food was still sitting on the counter. Bulma smirked and walked over to it. Then she went to the door leading to the dining room. She leaned against it and observed the scene before her.

As expected, Turles and Kakarrot were engaged in a stare down for the last piece of bread on the table. Nappa quickly settled the soundless squabble by picking up the piece of bread and breaking it in half. He held out the two pieces to the two small children sitting on either side of him. The lavender-haired children took the pieces eagerly. The little boy stuck his tongue out at Turles. Turles mumbled something about  _insolent brats_  and went back to eating.

 _He's picked up so many bad habits from them_ , Bulma thought with a smile. There was an empty seat next to the little boy. She picked up her plate and entered the room. She ruffled his hair and winked at the little girl across from her as she sat down.

* * *

Frieza tapped his finger against his chair. He'd made Planet 12 his home base. He spent most of his time there. The overlord had acquired about 50 more planets in the 5 years since the  _incident_. He was quite pleased with all the money he'd made since then. It also helped that he was slowly exterminating that troublesome  _resistance_ , one base at a time. What pleased him even more was that it was their so-called  _leader_  that was unknowingly doing the exterminating. The only thing that made Frieza's blood boil lately was one thing.

In 5 years, he'd still had not found Bulma.

"Vegeta has returned, my lord. He's waiting..." Zarbon did not get to finish as Vegeta came through the door. The green-haired man glared at the prince. Vegeta turned his deadly gaze towards him and Zarbon backed off. Smirking, Vegeta continued walking into the room. "Vegeta is here, my lord."

Frieza turned his chair around. "So I see." He watched Vegeta saunter to the middle of the room. "How was this mission?"

Over the past 5 years, Vegeta had grown. He was still rather short in comparison to the other Saiyans, but he was definitely taller than he had been as a teenager. Frieza had been almost giddy when Vegeta had returned. The prince was finally the person Frieza had been trying to mold him into. For whatever reason, he was not a brutal as he expected him to be but he was definitely as bloodthirsty. Frieza could deal with that, though. As long as he did his job unapologetically, he was fine with Vegeta's methods of getting the job done.

The only thing that ever gave Frieza pause was the fact that he had no idea how powerful the prince had become. He was positive that Vegeta was nowhere near his level of power. However, he knew Vegeta was at least as powerful as Zarbon. The prince had hidden his power well over the years and proved to Frieza that the Saiyans could get stronger.

 _It makes no difference. I have the most powerful one. If his compatriots ever show their treacherous faces again, I'll have Vegeta kill them without mercy_ , the overlord mused.

"Well? How is my favorite? Did you enjoy yourself?"

Vegeta crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. He hated when Frieza spoke in that tone that was neither too polite nor condescending. Despite what the disgusting lizard might have thought about him, he could care less about his dreams of domination of the galaxy. He just wanted to kill things.

"Spare me the theatrics, Frieza. I've completed your mission. I even brought back a little toy for you. She'll need some time in a tank, though." Vegeta removed his scouter and tossed it towards Frieza. The tyrant caught it and looked down at it. "The information that the woman I found at that base gave me is on there." He turned on his heel to leave.

Frieza raised an eyebrow. "You don't need this?" he asked. The prince snorted and waved his hand as he left the room.

Zarbon met Vegeta's eyes as he walked past him. The prince snarled at him. Zarbon rolled his eyes and said nothing as he left. He turned his attention to Frieza and walked further into the room. Frieza was examining the scouter. "You give him far too much freedom, Lord Frieza. He shows you no respect."

"Dear Zarbon, it's only his pride. Vegeta will never bow to me and he may not respect me as a person. However," Frieza put the scouter over his left eye, "he does respect my power. As long as he does that, I'll never have to worry about a thing from him."

"But he's already..."

"And I solved that problem, didn't I? Vegeta will remain under my control until he dies. I won't hear another word about it. Understand?" Frieza voice had turned serious. Zarbon swallowed hard and nodded. "Besides, I think I've finally found a solution to my little problem with that old buzzard."

* * *

Vegeta stormed into his quarters on the space station. The moment the door was shut he removed his armor and tossed it into an armchair. He stretched his arms and walked to the adjacent bathroom. After a long shower, he returned to put on black pants and a black shirt. Adding white gloves and boots, he decided that was all he needed to go about his business. He left his bare room and headed towards city outside of the fortress.

Before becoming Frieza's main base of operations, Planet 12 had been mostly a commercial hotspot. There were many businesses spanning from simple goods to pleasure houses to slaves. If it could be bought and sold, chances are one could find it on Planet 12.

The prince took himself to a tavern he frequented often. Vegeta was not usually one for hard liquor. Even though his tolerance was extremely high, he did not like the feeling of being drunk very much. It felt too much like he was not in control of his own body.  _Sometimes I don't think I am in control anyway_ , he thought as he took a seat at the bar. He could feel the eyes on him. Besides Frieza and Cooler, he was probably the most feared individual in the PTO. Vegeta was used to the stares he got. Whenever he looked in the direction of someone staring at him, they would quickly avert their eyes.

"Weaklings," he mumbled as the bartender sat a glass of liquor in front of him. By this point, Vegeta did not even need to explain what he wanted. Everyone just knew. "What do you want?"

The blue-eyed woman that had been sneaking up on Vegeta frowned. She took a seat beside him. "It's impossible to surprise you, isn't it?" she asked.

"I'm always aware of my surroundings." Vegeta gave the woman a side glance. "Then again, when one smells of as many men as you do, it's quite hard not to notice you coming." The woman did not appreciate that comment and threw a fist at Vegeta. In one smooth motion, Vegeta finished his drink and caught the woman's fist with the same hand.

"Curse your damn speed," she growled under her breath. She jerked her hand away from Vegeta. "I hope you can service yourself, asshole." She flounced off away from him. Vegeta ignored her and looked at the plate of food sat before him.

Sitting in a dark corner in the back of the tavern, a blue-eyed woman watched the dark prince. For the past week she had been coming to tavern in order to observe the prince. Vegeta was the only one who got close to Frieza on a regular basis to pull off what she was trying to do. The only problem... he was Prince Vegeta. Not many got close to him let alone close enough to plant something on him.

" _It isn't too late to back out of this_ ," a voice said over the minuscule communicator in her ear. She took another sip of her drink. " _Ranfan_..."

"We won't get many chances to do this. All I want to know is if you're positive this stuff is completely undetectable. He's a Saiyan. His senses are immaculate," Ranfan asked.

" _Of course it is. Do you think I would send you out there without being absolutely sure_?"

Ranfan chuckled. "Very well. It's now or never." She took the communicator out of her ear. After downing the rest of her drink in one gulp, she rose from the table and began making her way over to Vegeta.

The prince was polishing off his first plate of food. As soon as he was done, the plate was scooped up and another was placed before him. He took a bite of a piece of meat that was still wet with blood on his plate. Vegeta glanced briefly to his left and saw a purple-haired, blue-eyed woman sitting beside him. She was ordering a drink. His eyes lingered a little longer than they would have normally. The purple hair had caught his eye. The shade seemed... wrong, though. He tried to avert his eyes when she caught him staring.

"Hello," she said with a smile.

Vegeta debated on ignoring her but the purple hair kept his attention. He replied with a grunt a looked back at his food. Her pint came and she started chugging it. Vegeta turned his head again and watched her polish it off all at once. She slammed the glass down and called for another.

Noticing he was staring again, she laughed. "I was really thirsty. You're Prince Vegeta, right?" When she received no answer, she took a sip of her new pint. "Well, I'm a trader. I dropped off some new girls. Maybe you'll come across a few of mine." She playfully nudged him.

Vegeta looked at his arm where she touched him and then back at her. "You touched me," he said in a deadpan voice.

"Yes. Yes, I did." She took another gulp of her drink. "Are you afraid of a little  _female_  contact, Prince Vegeta?" She watched the prince slurped the rest of food into his mouth. His black eyes bore into hers.

* * *

Ranfan gasped as Vegeta slammed her against the door to his quarters, their lips locked. She heard a few keys being pushed and the door slid open behind her. She stumbled back but Vegeta pulled her to him. He abruptly released her and she fell back on his bed. The door slid shut behind him as he approached her.

 _I can see why he's feared yet lusted over_ , she thought as she watched him approach. She had to remember that she was here for a mission; not a quick romp in the sheets, however tempting it may seem. Vegeta pinned her under him and kissed her again. Ranfan wrapped her legs around him and maneuvered around so that he was beneath her.

Usually, Vegeta would not tolerate a woman in a dominant position. He was normally very businesslike with his  _flings_. But there was something about the purple hair that interested him. He let her remove his shirt and she tore ravenously at his pants. Not content to be the only one nude, he reached for her shirt. She smacked his hand away and he frowned.

Ranfan saw the amused look immediately disappear from his face. She only had one shirt and she could not let Vegeta shred it in his  _passion_. To appease him, she took hold of it and quickly opened the snaps, baring herself before him. She tossed it across the room and promptly did the same with her pants. Then she slid further down his body.

Vegeta sighed when he felt her lips close around him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensations she was giving him. Then he felt it. He opened his eyes and noticed his vision had gone blurry. He reached down and pulled the woman away from him. He got to his feet and stumbled around his room. What was wrong with him? What had happened?

Ranfan watched as Vegeta attempted to fight off the sedative. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand as he continued to stumble around. His hand closed around her neck and she stopped moving.  _His speed is still incredible_. As soon as the thought passed, he released her and fell at her feet. Ranfan dressed herself quickly and took out a capsule. Popping it open, she picked up a communicator and put it in her ear.

"Yellow?"

The answer was instantaneous. " _You got him? That was quick. Did you_..."

Ranfan snorted. "The rumors are definitely true about him. _All of them_." She hurriedly put together a small x-ray machine and turned towards Vegeta. "I'm starting the imaging now. There will be some interference."

* * *

_"Watch me, Mama! Watch me!" the lavender-haired little boy yelled. He was running towards the lake. He splashed his way into the water. "Mama, watch me!"_

_A lavender-haired woman laughed. "I'm watching! I'm watching!" She smiled as she watched the little boy. He waded around in the water until his head was partially submerged. Then he began blowing bubbles. The woman clapped and laughed. "And where did you learn that, little one?"_

_The boy stood up in the water, his tail making waves behind him. "Turles," he replied with a giggle. He noticed the little girl standing beside his mother. "Wanna come?" He held his hand out to her._

_A lavender-haired little girl looked up at the woman. Then she took off running towards the water. She caught up with the little boy and they began splashing about in the water. The girl dunked the boy under the water and he chased her. The woman smiled and ran a hand through her hair._

_"Mama, do the thing!" the boy yelled._

_"The thing? Little one, I've told you what it's called," she said as she started walking towards the water._

_"Make stars, Mama!" the boy said. Beside him, the girl nodded. She had yet to speak._

_The woman sighed. "Okay." She went into the water and waded over to her children. She stared at the water. After a few moments, many tiny droplets began to rise. The water reflected the sunlight, giving off a sparkling effect. The boy and the girl clapped as they watched the_ stars  _move around them. They giggled when a few drops splashed on their faces._

Vegeta's eyes opened. He groaned and turned over on his side. Then he sat up. Glancing around, he realized he was in his quarters. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. He sniffed the air. There were no foreign smells. It was just him. How did he get back to his room? Had he been that drunk? He did not recall drinking so much that he would lose his memory.

"What the hell was that dream?" he mumbled to himself. He always dreamt of the same lavender-haired children and their mother. He never saw the mother's face, though. It was like he was watching the dream in first-person. The little boy was a chatterbox and full of energy but the little girl never spoke. The little boy had a tail, though. A Saiyan's tail.

 _I'm dreaming of purple-haired Saiyan brats. I must be losing my mind_. Vegeta got out of his bed. He needed another shower.

* * *

Juu waited patiently as the x-rays of Vegeta's head uploaded on her computer. Ranfan was definitely good at her job. She'd rather not think about what exactly she had to do in order to get the sedative into Vegeta. Ranfan had also left a tracker on Vegeta... somewhere. Juu also preferred not to know where it was. They had to find a way to keep Vegeta from killing off all the members of the resistance. If they could track where he was going, they could easily evacuate before his arrival.

The android was more concerned with the x-rays of Vegeta's head. She needed to find whatever it was that had control over him. This was the first time in years that they had been able to get on Planet 12. They had to do it under the guise of slave traders. Posing as slave traders was not the problem. Proving they were slave traders was the problem. So, they had become slave traders. It was not something Juu was proud of.

Juu started scanning the x-rays. It would probably take hours, but she would search for anything that could help bring Vegeta out of whatever  _spell_  he was in.

 _I also should get started on trying to get Tarble to tell me where they are. Maybe I could convince them to come in if I can guarantee them I can help Vegeta. Then there is the matter of luring the prince here_... Juu sighed and rubbed her eyes. She shivered when she felt the door to the small room open behind her.

Krillyn came up behind Juu and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You need to rest, Juu."

"I don't require as much rest as normal humans do, Krillyn. I am part machine," she responded automatically. It was as if she gave him that answer all the time. "Ranfan just uploaded the x-rays. I need to go over them."

"She really got them? How?" Krillyn came around Juu and looked at the bright screen. He then looked back at Juu. Her expression said it all. "I'm better off not knowing, huh?"

"I don't even know and I don't want to. You know how Ranfan operates." Juu ran a hand through her shortened hair. Over the years she'd taken to changing her hairstyle every now and then. It helped with her disguises.

"It is effective. I'll give her that." Krillyn looked back at the x-rays. "Even if we can get Vegeta back, what will the rest of the resistance think? He's been destroying our bases and killing our allies. How could they ever trust him again?"

Juu shrugged. "We'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let's just focus on the task at hand."

* * *

Kakarrot and Turles landed on a small isolated island. There was a single building on the island. The twins looked up and saw a shadow at the top. Kakarrot smirked and jumped up. Turles shook his head and went to knock on the door of the building.

"Hiya, Piccolo!" Kakarrot said loudly.

The tall Namek cringed when he heard Kakarrot behind him. The Saiyan and his twin had a habit of disturbing his meditation. In fact, Piccolo was sure they did it on purpose. "What do you want, Kakarrot?" Piccolo asked without turning around. He sensed the Saiyan floating around to face him. He frowned and kept his eyes shut.

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd be up for a spar. No ki. No flying. Just good old-fashioned fisticuffs."

Piccolo opened his eyes and sighed. Kakarrot had that goofy grin on his face. He wondered silently how it was possible for Turles to have the same face yet look so different at the same time. "No ki, huh? And I suppose you want to do it in that contraption you have?"

Kakarrot shook his head and mimicked Piccolo's position. "Well, I was thinking that since it's such a beautiful day that training outside wouldn't be so bad. What do you think?"

"I do have a job, Kakarrot."

"You use that excuse every time and every time the Grand Elder says it's fine if you take a break. What could possibly go wrong in the two or three hours you'll be gone?"

Here, Piccolo opened his eyes and glared at Kakarrot. "I seem to remember  _taking a break_  and then you flew a ship into this house and nearly killed the Grand Elder." He crossed his arms tighter and closed his eyes. When he didn't sense Kakarrot leaving, he opened one eye. "What?"

"It's just for a few hours, Piccolo." Behind them, Turles took off with Nail following him. "See? Even Nail is going. You know something? I think you're scared."

"Scared?" Piccolo came out of his meditative position and swung at the Saiyan. Kakarrot danced away from him while laughing at the tall Namekian's reaction. "I am not afraid of you, Kakarrot!"

"Prove it!" Kakarrot knew he was being childish but he didn't care. He liked sparring with Piccolo and he was the strongest Namekian on the planet. Why not take advantage? "I'll meet you back at the lake!" He took off in the direction that Nail and Turles had gone in.

Piccolo stood on top of the house fuming. He was well aware that the Saiyan was goading him but he would not be taken lightly. He tossed his cape and turban before taking off after Kakarrot.

* * *

Tarble and Raditz were stretching when Turles and Kakarrot returned with the two Namekians. Chichi and Kinomi were already sparring in a grassy field. Nappa was staring up at the sky. A little lavender-haired child was perched on his shoulder, following his gaze up to the clouds. High above them, Gohan was helping a little lavender-haired boy levitate.

"You ready?" Raditz asked Tarble. The smaller Saiyan nodded and stood up straight. They flew to the other side of the lake in order to have enough room for their spar. "Remember, Tarble. No ki."

The youngest prince nodded and crouched into his stance. He was not as strong as Raditz, but he was faster and smarter. For the better part of 5 years, Tarble had been training mostly with Chichi. She'd helped him to maximize his strengths in order to hide his weaknesses better. Being small also helped. He'd also learned to fight in sync with Kinomi better.

Kakarrot taped his hands up as Raditz and Tarble began their spar.  _Tarble's definitely come a long way. Vegeta would definitely be glad to see his progress_. His usually happy countenance grew serious as he thought about his prince. He looked away from Tarble and Raditz and over towards the cave where their house was hidden. Bulma was sitting on a rock formation near the entrance. She was also watching Gohan and the little boy in sky.

She had been absolutely furious when she woke up after they left the Ark 5 years earlier. Even explaining the situation and what Vegeta had told him to do, Bulma had remained angry. She told Kakarrot that she was not mad at him, but he did not believe it. She would barely speak to him anymore. Chichi told him he was imagining him being the only one; Bulma had pulled away from everyone after their escape.

"That boy is a fast learner," Piccolo said from behind Kakarrot. He was looking at Gohan and the little boy.

Kakarrot nodded his head. "He is his father's son. His growth rate is tremendous." He turned around and faced the taller Namekian. "Let's start."

Nappa's eyebrow twitched when he heard the sound of children's laughter. He turned his head and saw the group of Namekian children running towards them from the hillside. Sighing, he knew what was about to happen. As predicted, Gohan's 5-year-old attention span kicked in. His lesson forgotten, he flew towards the group of children. The lavender-haired boy yelled after him. Nappa's eyebrows furrowed when the boy managed to stay afloat by himself. With a scowl, he tried to will his body in the direction that Gohan had flown off to.

"He's definitely got that stubborn determination his sire has," he said.

_Sire? What's a sire?_

Nappa looked over his shoulder at the little girl. She was looking at him questioningly. "It's another way of saying  _father_ , youngling. Your brother has some of your father's greatest traits; some of which are also his greatest faults." He saw the boy had at least managed to land on the ground. "Tired already, boy?" He started walking to where the child had sat down in the dirt.

"Flying is hard. Will it always be hard?" the boy asked.

"On your feet, boy. Don't whine. Flying is instinctive. You should be able to do it without conscious thought," Nappa said sternly. The boy got to his feet. "You are leaking ki all around you, boy. I'm surprised you aren't floating around aimlessly. Concentrate. Gather that ki under your feet and lift yourself."

The boy scowled a scowl that previously had only been seen on Vegeta's face. He looked at the girl sitting on Nappa's shoulder. She made a few hand gestures and he nodded. He looked down at his feet.

Bulma smiled when she saw the little boy rise on his own. She had been worried when Gohan left him so suddenly. But now he seemed to be controlling his ki better. Nappa had told her that even at his age he was strong enough to blow at least a fourth of the planet away. He needed lessons in control early. Bulma had not been so sure. Like any 3-year-old, he had an attention span no longer than his age. One was lucky if he managed to pay attention for even those 3 minutes.

 _He's so much like him and they've never even met. So determined and unwilling to give an inch_ , she thought as the boy lowered himself to the ground. He looked up at Nappa, blue eyes sparkling with delight.  _Well, Vegeta definitely never smiled like that before. I suppose he gets that from me_. Bulma got to her feet as the boy started running towards her.

"Mama, look what I can do!" He stopped running right in front of her. Bulma watched the scowl return to his baby fat-laden face. A cloud of dust swirled at his feet as he used his ki to push off from the ground. He levitated up to Bulma's height and looked at his mother. "Look Mama!"

"I see. Nappa has been teaching you well, little one." Bulma reached out with her arms. The boy floated into her grasp and she pulled him to her. She ruffled his hair and sat him back down on the ground. "Why don't you go put on your boots so you can play with the other boys?"

"Okay, Mama!" The little boy ran back to cave.

Bulma watched him until he disappeared into the cave. Then she turned to see talking to the girl on his shoulder. Smiling, she walked over to them. She tapped the girl on her shoulder. "I think you're turning Nappa into a big softy, little flower," she said. The child giggled but said nothing.

Nappa looked down at Bulma as she walked around him. "Nonsense. I am not becoming soft, woman."

"Nappa, there is a three-year-old girl sitting on your shoulder. You still get defensive if I dress the wounds on your fingers. Just admit it. She has you wrapped around her little finger. She is quite the charmer."

The girl cocked her head to the side.  _What's a charmer, Mama?_

"Don't worry about it, little flower." Bulma winked at her.

* * *

Inside the house, a high-pitched alarm started going off. The little lavender-haired boy looked up from his seat on the floor in the living room. He finished putting his boots on and got to his feet. The boy tracked the sound down until he was in his uncle's room. A scouter sat on a desk. The little boy walked over to it and picked it up.

" _Hello?_ "

Juu was almost surprised when she heard the tiny voice on the other end. It did not sound like Tarble. It sounded like a child. "Hello. Who is this?"

" _You first._ "

The android raised an eyebrow. She could not give her real name. "My name is Yellow."

" _Funny name,_ " the child said with a giggle.

"That's what I'm told. Can you bring the scouter to an adult for me?"

" _Um... Okay._ "

Juu listened as the child probably put the scouter in his pocket or something. She waited patiently and heard talking. She could pick out the different voices.  _Sounds like all of the Saiyans are still together. That's good_ , she thought. It finally sounded as if someone had put the scouter on.

" _Yellow?_ " It was Tarble.

" _Nice to hear your voice, Blue Beta. Who was the squirt?_ "

Tarble turned and looked at the little boy. He was running towards where the other kids were playing. He remembered that Juu had no idea about the new additions to their kin. "I'm not entirely sure I should tell you over this connection. He didn't tell you his name, did he?"

" _No. He was a smart kid. He asked for mine, though. But, I have some good news._ "

"Any news is good news at this point."

" _Well..._ "

Raditz tapped his foot. Tarble held up the fight when the boy had come swinging the scouter around with urgency. He'd been mildly impressed that the boy had jumped clear across the lake to get to them. He could not fly very long, but he had serious skill when it came to jumping. The long-haired Saiyan turned his attention back to Tarble. The younger Saiyan's eyes had gone wide. Raditz's interest went up when he saw the youngest prince nearly leap for joy.

 _Whatever he's hearing better be worth it_ , he thought as Tarble ended the call. Tarble looked around him. Everyone was still involved in their own fights. He zeroed in on Bulma and took off towards her. Rolling his eyes, Raditz followed.

Bulma nearly fell over as Tarble stopped right in front of her. He appeared excited and he started speaking so fast Bulma could not understand him.  _I don't even think half of what he is saying is in Standard_ , she thought. She laughed as Kinomi appeared at her brother's side and smacked him upside his head.

"She can't understand you, idiot. Slow down and start over. This had better be good. Your little scream hurt," Kinomi said. She was referring to the telepathic yell he'd given to call all the Saiyans together.

"It is!" Tarble looked around at everyone. "I just spoke with Juu. She said that one of her operatives finally infiltrated the Planet Twelve base and got to Vegeta. They ran a few tests and planted a tracker on him. We can finally find Vegeta!"

There was a long silence before Turles broke it. "It's about fucking time we got somewhere. I can't believe it's taken so long to get into that base."

"Frieza has beefed up security so much that they've had to resort to less savory means of infiltration." Tarble gave an awkward cough. He knew about the slave trade that the resistance had been under the guise of for the past few years. "Then there was actually tracking down Vegeta. Supposedly Frieza has kept him working almost nonstop."

Kakarrot scratched his head. "How did they plant a tracking device on Vegeta? And they ran tests? What kind of tests?"

"Juu told me they were scans of his brain. Something has been controlling him. She found some abnormalities in both his temporal and frontal lobes. Something has been regulating his memory and behavior. I'd put my money on some sort of chip or nanotechnology. I know Frieza had been looking into nano..."

"Short version, Tarble," Kinomi said.

Tarble nodded. "Well, they think if they can pinpoint what's controlling Vegeta then they can somehow reverse or stop it. Of course, they'd need to get close to him again and that's where the tracking device comes in."

"So they follow Vegeta around until they can somehow catch him and immobilize him? That plan is insane and it'll never work," Raditz said.

"Kakarrot is the only one who can handle Vegeta. He'll kill the rest of us without a second thought." Turles glanced over at his twin. "You think you can take Vegeta?"

Kakarrot shrugged. "Bulma said that she lowered his power enough to where I can handle him and that he would still get stronger, but only relative to where she locked his ki. It's been five years, though. Vegeta's always been stronger than me. Who knows how much stronger he's become."

Chichi looked around the group. Nail and Piccolo had gone over to look after the playing children. Gohan was still with them. She turned back towards the group and noticed one of them was missing. She saw Bulma was leaning against the rock at the opening of their cave. She silently moved away from the group and towards the rock. She noticed the faraway look in Bulma's eyes.

"Happy about this news?" she asked.

Bulma sighed as she looked over the landscape. "To tell you the truth, I don't know how to feel. But, I do know he will come here. I don't know what he'll do if he sees Trunks and Okura."

"They're talking about sending Kakarrot and Turles to help take Vegeta in." Chichi saw Bulma shake her head. "What is it?"

"We don't need to go looking for him. He will come here."

"Why?"

After 5 years, Bulma still had not told anyone about Vegeta's meeting with her. She knew it would be on Namek. But what would bring him here? No one, not even Juu and the resistance, knew where the Saiyans were. Bulma looked towards Nail and Piccolo. She got off the rock and ran up the hill to meet them. Chichi followed, interested in what Bulma was doing.

Piccolo turned around as he saw Bulma and Chichi approaching them. The children were all interested in Nail at the moment. He had very little interaction with the  _purple woman_. All he knew was that she'd spent about 2 standard years being twice the size she was now. Then there were 2 extra children running about. The Grand Elder had said something about her carrying her children within her. She'd rarely spoken to him and now she was staring at him as if he'd done her a great disservice.

"Is there anything on this planet, anything at all, that could be used in a dangerous way?" she asked him.

"What?" Although he knew what she was getting at, he had no desire to tell her. She did not need to know.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I'm giving you the chance to tell me yourself. I don't take pride in abusing my power."

 _Power? What power does she speak of_? Piccolo sized the small woman up again. He saw her narrow her eyes.

 _The power to enter your thoughts and read them like a good book_ , came the foreign voice in Piccolo's mind. Bulma's face did not change as she stared him directly in the eye.  _Now will you tell me or not?_

Piccolo frowned. "There is... something that if it fell into the wrong hands it could be used negatively." He saw her motion for him to explain. "Seven objects that when brought together can grant you any wish."

* * *

"They're called Dragon Balls. You have no idea the type of research I had to do in order to find this out. It's taken years and all my patience, but it finally paid off," Frieza said as he climbed into his hovering chair. He looked over at Zarbon. He was reading the files on the legend.

Zarbon shook his head and looked up from the papers. "Are you sure there is any truth to these myths, Lord Frieza? This planet they come from... This  _Namek_... It's so far away. I believe you should send someone to investigate first. It would make no sense to go there and waste your time."

Frieza nodded. "You make a good point, Zarbon. I'd be highly irritated if I go all the way out of my way to this planet only to find that it's a myth. Who should I send to investigate?"

As if he'd been cued for an entrance, Vegeta burst through the doors of the room. Everyone turned to look at him. He ignored the stares and made his way over to Frieza. "What's my next assignment?" he asked blandly.

The overlord took in Vegeta's appearance. He was dressed in his black armor as usual. He was scowling and looked no less than his usual perpetually angry self. He also seemed somewhat rested. "I trust your week off was relaxing, Vegeta. Eager to get back to work, I see. You're in luck. I have the perfect job for you."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Frieza usually just sent his assignments to his scouter. He had received no notifications and that was the only reason he showed up. Frieza was right; he was eager to work. Training alone only entertained him for so long. Being in action is what drove him nowadays. He needed to kill something. "Where is this  _perfect job_?"

"On a faraway planet called Namek."


	22. Investigation

"You didn't think it was important to tell us about those balls?"

Piccolo narrowed his eyes in irritation. The smallest Saiyan girl was starting to get on his nerves. While her voice was not high-pitched, she could still reach a tone that annoyed his sensitive ears. She was less than half his size but her attitude was twice his size. "It did not seem important at the time. We also did not think it wise to share the knowledge of the mystical orbs with outsiders," he said through clenched teeth. "None of this would be a problem if you all had never come here."

"Frieza doesn't even know we're here! He knows about those lizard balls, though. Did you really think Frieza would not find out about them?" Raditz said loudly.

"We didn't know much about the galaxy outside of our suns until you all came here. You can't blame us for thinking no one would come here with ill intentions. We were skeptical of you all for a while as well," Nail said, trying to calm the tensions between Piccolo and the Saiyans. He turned towards Bulma for assistance in calming the warriors.

Sensing the Namek's plea for help before a fight broke out, Bulma stepped between Raditz and Piccolo. "This is more my fault than anyone else's. I've been sitting on the knowledge of Vegeta coming to Namek since we arrived here. It never occurred to me the reason why he would come to such a remote planet. Let's calm down and figure out what we're going to do."

"Should we leave?" Kakarrot asked.

Nappa shook his head. "We've already established that Frieza doesn't know we're here, but he must know of those balls and their power. He's going to come here regardless. It's probably better if we stay."

"Why is that?" Piccolo glared at the taller man. "You do not think we could handle this Frieza?"

Kinomi faced Piccolo again. "Of course not! And it doesn't matter if Frieza comes. If even Vegeta comes this planet no one here stands a chance against him, limited power or not." She saw Kakarrot frown at her. "Okay.  _Maybe_  Kakarrot can hold him off for an extended period of time. But outright defeat Vegeta? Not happening."

Nail looked at Piccolo. "Perhaps it is best that they help us defend the planet. If only this Vegeta comes, then he might be able to be subdued. If this Frieza is anywhere near the power of what they claim, we will need much help. Though it pains me to say it, our numbers are still few," he said. Piccolo grunted is agreement and Nail looked out at the others. "We'll have to hide the Dragon Balls. Keep them scattered, but hide them outside of view. Excuse us." He took off. Piccolo gave the Saiyans one last look before following Nail.

Tarble looked at his scouter. "I should tell Juu that we need to know Vegeta's position as soon as possible. With the tracker that was planted on him, we should be able to know when he'll arrive," he said. He turned and headed back to the house.

"I say the rest of us should continue training. Vegeta was... not nice the last time I saw him. He probably won't have any memory of us and will kill anyone who gets in his way," Kakarrot said.

Nappa reached up and took the small girl perched on his shoulder down. He placed her gently on the ground and she looked up at him with a confused face. "I must go train, youngling. Keep your mother company," he said. His normally booming voice was stern yet gentle.

Bulma smiled when she saw how gentle Nappa was with Okura. Since she was born, Nappa had taken it upon himself to protect her. When asked why he did not protect Trunks with the same fervor, his simply reply had been that Trunks was Vegeta's son. Bulma had not known what that meant until Trunks had learned to walk at a mere 4 months old. The boy was fiercely independent. Okura had not walked until she was a year old. She also refused to speak. Bulma knew the girl was perfectly capable of it.

 _It's like she doesn't think anyone is worthy enough to hear her voice_ , Bulma thought as Okura moved towards her. She took Bulma's hand and squeezed it. Bulma squeezed gently back and they headed towards the lake together.

* * *

Vegeta grumbled to himself as he waited for his pod to roll down from the hangar. He'd never even heard of this strange planet called Namek before. Frieza had informed him that it was way out of the PTO's jurisdiction and that he'd eventually purge it. For now, Vegeta was supposed to go to the planet and find out what he could about the Dragon Balls.

" _By any means necessary_ , he says. I should kill everyone on the fucking planet just to spite him," the prince murmured to himself.

"I doubt that would go over well," came the voice from behind him.

Vegeta turned his head to the side and saw the fish-faced alien walking up to the pod hangar's control panel. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Cui finished typing and looked over at Vegeta. "What does it look like? I'm coming with you. Six others will be accompanying us as well."

"I don't work well with others. You are not my partner nor are you my protector. Go away and leave me the fuck alone."

"I would love to do that, Vegeta. But I've been given these orders from Zarbon. I'm supposed to observe the proceedings and make sure you don't get out of line. We can't have you killing everyone on the planet with one of your tantrums," Cui said.

Vegeta scoffed and looked straight ahead. His pod came rolling down a conveyor belt and stopped right in front of him. It had been cleaned and polished since its last use. The prince walked forward as the hatch opened. "I don't need a fucking babysitter."

"Zarbon begs to differ," Cui retorted.

The prince cringed at the mention of Zarbon's name. He hated the man with the fire of 1000 suns and wanted nothing more than to kill the weakling. He knew he was stronger than Zarbon, but Frieza would never allow him to fight him. Gaining rank in Frieza's army was simple: kill the person whose rank you desired. The only people who were off limits were Zarbon and Dodoria because they were handpicked by Frieza to serve him. Vegeta was as well, but he preferred to keep the prince at a distance; constantly sending him on missions.

 _One of these days I will kill that fool. What's Frieza going to do? Kill me? He won't because unlike Zarbon, I'm good at what I do_ , he thought as he sat down roughly. He began programming the pod for his trip.  _Great. A whole fucking month of travel_.

Cui watched Vegeta's pod close. Zarbon had indeed ordered him to watch over Vegeta. Even if Vegeta did something wrong, it was not like Cui had the strength to stop him. Vegeta would do whatever the hell he wanted to do. All Cui could do relay his actions back to Zarbon. He remembered the last time Vegeta  _did his own thing_. The Saiyan had left destruction in his wake unlike any other. The only thing that kept him from destroying the planet itself was the fact that Frieza had made it clear that the planet was not to be destroyed.

Vegeta braced himself as the pod shot out of the hangar. He heard the sleeping gas start to fill the pod. He would fall asleep in less than a minute. He found himself wondering if he would dream. The last thing he wanted to see when he slept was the hallucinations of little lavender-haired children. The prince felt his eyelids getting heavier and let out a long sigh. The last thing that flashed before his eyes before his stasis began was those lively cerulean eyes he could not quite place.

* * *

"Relax, boy! Unclench your face!" Nappa's voice boomed. Little Trunks tried to relax his face. He was having trouble suppressing his ki. Gohan sat beside him, also practicing the suppression. Gohan had already learned the skill, but it had not come second nature to him yet.

It was imperative that Trunks learn to suppress his ki in the next thirty days. Juu had alerted them of eight space pods going in Namek's general direction. Chances are they were coming to the planet itself. It was already confirmed that one of the pods held Vegeta. No one knew if Vegeta retained his ability to sense ki, but either way a scouter would easily pick up Trunks' highly noticeable ki.

"Nappa, this is hard," Trunks whined. He opened one eye and looked at the bald man sitting across from him. "It's not fun. I wanna fight."

Nappa narrowed his eyes. "Training isn't supposed to be fun, boy. It's hard work." He saw the defiant look in the 3-year-old's eyes. Trunks looked so much like Vegeta it was frightening. He was also just as stubborn. "Your sire trains. He trains all the time and do you know what that made him?"

Trunks' frown let up. It was not often Nappa spoke of his  _sire_. The little one always listened eagerly whenever Nappa told him about the mysterious man. "What?"

"It made him the strongest Saiyan in the galaxy. No Saiyan is stronger than your sire, boy. He respects strength above anything else. Do you want him to dismiss you as weak when he sees you?" Nappa inwardly smirked when the boy shook his head fervently. Trunks had not even met Vegeta and already he strove to impress him. "Then you will train and you will train hard. No slacking. Understand?" He gave Trunks a stern eye. The boy nodded eagerly and closed his eyes.

Bulma stood in the doorway of the gravity chamber. It was not on, but it was the only place that Nappa could train the boys without distractions. Okura stood beside Bulma and patted her leg. Bulma looked down at her.  _What is it, little flower?_

 _Is Nappa right? Does the_ sire _like strength a lot? I'm not real strong like Trunks._

Bulma kneeled down to Okura's level. "Yes, he does. But it isn't just physical strength he admires. He admires all types of strength." She tapped Okura's forehead.

_He likes mind power too?_

"I have mind power. Don't you think he likes me?" Bulma feigned a pout which made the little girl smile. She pulled Okura into a hug. "He likes me. He will like Trunks. And he will especially like you, little flower. You need training as well. Come. Let's go practice our mind power together." She stood up and took Okura's hand. Okura gave her brother one last look before walking off with her mother.

* * *

Kakarrot was sparring with Chichi. Everyone had thought it a strange choice to spar with her. Chichi was significantly weaker than her mate, being only slightly stronger than Nappa. However, she was the only one who fought as dirty as Vegeta did. Sparring with Turles or Raditz would not give Kakarrot that same feeling as sparring with Chichi. She threw everything at him from rocks to dust to splashing water in his face. She'd even used Tarble as a body shield once. Kakarrot had fallen for that trick far too easily.

On her side, Chichi was indeed throwing the kitchen sink at Kakarrot. She felt mildly guilty, but she knew it was for the best. If he fought Vegeta, she knew the prince would certainly not hold anything back. She dropped to her knees as Kakarrot tried to punch her. She rolled away from him. Once she was upright again, she held her hands out. She sent a burst of ki towards Kakarrot. With it went the dust that she had picked up during her backwards roll.

"Damnit!" Kakarrot was blinded. He tried to quickly wipe his eyes but Chichi scratched his eyes, drawing blood. She phased behind him, pulled his arms behind him, and kicked him in the back. He slammed into the ground face first. Chichi stepped on his head, grinding his face into the dust.

"Come on, Kakarrot! You're being a weakling!" Chichi yelled. She sighed inwardly. He did not respond the same way as his brothers when subjected to name-calling. She would have to dig into the archives of her mind to channel Vegeta. She put more pressure on his head and twisted her foot. Kakarrot flailed wildly, trying to get her off. "Are you so weak that you can't even toss a mere female away? You're nothing but a fucking third-class moron!"

If there was one thing Kakarrot did hate, it was being called a third-class. Vegeta called him that all the time, but for some reason he let Vegeta get away with anything short of insulting his parents. It was the only thing that could rile him up enough to kill someone without remorse. Chichi knew that and it was the catalyst he needed to start taking her more seriously.

With a roar, the Saiyan got up, throwing Chichi back in the process. She caught herself and kneeled on a rock a good distance away from him. Kakarrot turned his head from side to side, looking for Chichi. He was blinded from Chichi nearly clawing his eyeballs out along with the dust that stung the cuts. He would have to fight her by ki sense alone.

Chichi blinked in surprise when Kakarrot was suddenly in front of her. She narrowly avoided his punch by jumping into the air. Instead, he destroyed the rock she had been perched on.

"I'll never understand why that gets him so worked up," Turles said. He was taking a break from his own sparring and watching Chichi and Kakarrot go at it. Raditz sat beside him and observed the proceedings. "I mean, if Vegeta-sei was still around we'd still be labeled third-class. Though, with our power now we might've been promoted to elite."

Raditz shrugged indifferently. "Who knows how Kakarrot's mind works. Maybe he thinks it's an insult to his pow..." He choked on his words when Chichi was suddenly using him as a body shield. She held a small blade of ki against his neck. "Chichi, what the hell..."

Chichi kneed him in the back and squeezed her arm around his neck. Kakarrot came to a stop, sensing his brother in front of her. "Take another step and I'll slice his jugular. Then you could make the choice of either following me or helping save his life."

Kakarrot stood still and weighed his options. He knew Chichi would not hurt Raditz, but it would be a different story if it were Vegeta holding his older brother. What would he do in such a scenario?  _I would let Vegeta go_ , he thought. So he stood still, effectively giving up.

His mate narrowed her eyes and released Raditz. "Kakarrot! You're not supposed to..."

"I'm not going to let him hurt Raditz. I would let him go," he said, stubbornly crossing his arms.

"And what if Vegeta grabs one of the children? He wouldn't know yet that Trunks and Okura are his and he wouldn't care at all about Gohan. Hell, he'd probably take pleasure in doing away with him just to..."

"Chichi!"

"Shut up, Turles! We all know how ruthless Vegeta is when he has a mission! Besides, there are more coming than just Vegeta! We don't know who it is! It could be anyone from Zarbon to Dodoria to Frieza himself! I don't think you all grasp the full magnitude of this situation!" Chichi sighed as she looked at her handiwork of Kakarrot's face. "I should clean you up. Come on." She took his hand and led him back to the cave.

* * *

Nappa smirked as Trunks finally reigned in all of his ki and held it steady. "That is satisfactory, boy. Now stand up. You will spar with Gohan today. Both of you keep your ki suppressed as you do so."

Gohan stood up and walked to the middle of the chamber. Trunks followed the older boy and faced him. His face was set in a frown as he tried to keep his ki suppressed. Gohan was no different. Up until then, Gohan had only been taught to suppress it when not doing anything. While he was sparring with his father or uncles, he always let it rise.

"What are you waiting for? Get to it!" Nappa said loudly. He rose from his spot on the floor and walked to the wall to lean on it. "Begin!"

Trunks barely managed to dodge Gohan's punch. The boy was bigger than him and more experienced. It would be hard to keep up with him, especially if he was not allowed to use ki. All he could do at the moment was stay on the defensive. Defense was not something the 3-year-old liked. He blocked one of Gohan's punches with his right arm and stuck his left hand out.

Nappa raised an eyebrow as Gohan jumped back. The boy had just dodged a burst of ki from Trunks.  _Impossible. The boy can barely fly. I haven't even taught him to manipulate his ki in other ways_ , he thought. Then he frowned, remembering what he told the two boys before their spar started.

"Didn't I say no ki, boy?"

Trunks' eyes widened when he realized what he'd done. He looked over at his mentor. "I didn't mean to, Nappa. I was mad," he said. Nappa simply frowned at him. "I'm sorry," Trunks mumbled with his head lowered.

 _The boy is technically my superior and treats me with such reverence. Vegeta would've kicked me in the shin and told me to go to hell for scolding him_. Nappa amused himself of the thought of Vegeta at Trunks' age.

"Just continue, boy. No ki." Nappa waved his hand and resumed his position against the wall. Trunks nodded and looked back at Gohan. Gohan nodded at him and resumed his attack on Trunks.

* * *

Bulma watched Okura with a small smile on her face. The two were sitting on the ground with a large rock between them. The little girl was staring intently at the rock. Every now and then, the rock would shake but it never moved from its spot. "Don't force it, Okura. Just think of what you want the rock to do and let it happen," Bulma explained. Okura turned her glare to her mother. Then she back at the rock.

 _Rocks are boring. I'm tired of rocks_. Okura kept her thoughts to herself. Something moved out of the corner of her left eye. She turned her head and saw a frog jumping. She watched it move, never taking her eyes away from it. Then it stopped moving.

A purple substance suddenly splashed all over the rock. Bulma jumped in surprise. She looked at her daughter and saw her smiling. She glanced up at her mother, looking quite proud of herself. "Okura, what did you do?" Bulma asked.

 _A frog_ , Okura replied.

Upon closer inspection, Bulma realized the purple substance was blood. There were bits of flesh mixed in. She even managed to pick out what appeared to be an eyeball. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Bulma got to her feet. "Come along, Okura. It's almost time to eat." She held her hand out and Okura took it. As they walked back to the cave, Bulma was in mild shock. "Okura?"

_Yes, Mama?_

Bulma looked down at her daughter. "We never use our mind powers to kill. We only use them to help. Understand?"

Okura was confused, but she nodded anyway.  _I'm sorry, Mama._

"It's okay, little flower. Just don't let it happen again." Bulma patted her daughter's hand.

* * *

"Do you think we should send anyone to help them?" Krillyn asked Juu. The android shook her head. The two were eating in the cafeteria of the space station they were on. It was merely a stop on the way to their next base. The best place to hide was in plain sight. "Why not? Are you sure they'll be able to take on Vegeta alone? What if Frieza is accompanying him?"

Juu shook her head again. "Frieza would not accompany Vegeta anywhere in a pod. If he was going then he would take one of his flagships. Frieza doesn't do  _subtle_. Clearly this mission is for reconnaissance. Vegeta is just scoping out Frieza's next playground."

Krillyn nodded then shook his head. "I still think we should at least send someone just in case. We don't want to lose the Saiyans. What if they can't contain Vegeta?"

"Bulma assured us that she could get through to him."

"And you believe she can?"

Juu stood from her seat and gathered up the empty tray. "Not really. But what choice do we have? In any case, my brother is stationed closest to Namek. I'll have him on alert. Relax, Krillyn. We're finally making a little headway. If anything this will help morale. There's a chance we can bring Vegeta back to our side. If that happens, the attacks on our bases will stop." She picked up the tray and started walking towards the trash receptacles. Krillyn quickly caught up with her.

"I suppose you're right. This whole situation just worries me. Those magic balls or whatever worry me the most. How long did you say it would take Vegeta to get to Namek?"

"A standard month. The Saiyans have thirty standard days to be prepared for the prince. Right now, all we can do is wait."

* * *

Vegeta's eyes slowly opened as the sleeping gas filtered out. He blinked a few times and looked out the window of his space pod. A greenish planet was coming into view. Frowning, he glanced over at the clock on the control panel. He'd only been traveling for 25 days.  _I thought this was supposed to take a month_ , he thought.

" _Approaching Namek. Prepare for landing. Approaching Namek. Prepare for landing. Approaching_..." Vegeta turned off the alert. He relaxed as the pod entered the planet's atmosphere.

 _Hopefully this was worth the fucking trip_.

* * *

Bulma sat up. She'd been sleeping dreamlessly until suddenly she began seeing the planet from space through red glass. She looked at the calendar to make sure what she saw was right.  _It's only been twenty-five days. He can't possibly be here now_. She threw the covers back and dressed quickly. Then she left her room and knocked on the door of Kakarrot and Chichi's room.

There was a low grumbling of voices before Kakarrot moaned in pain. "I'm going. I'm going." Bulma could hear him walking towards the door. He pulled it open and looked down at her as he yawned. "What's goin' on, Bulma? We still have a few hours before we have to get up," he said drowsily.

"Don't you feel anything, Kakarrot?" Bulma asked. The Saiyan shook his head lazily. "Are you sure?"

Kakarrot stopped rubbing his eyes and took in Bulma's appearance. She was already dressed. Her face was tense and she was worried about something. He extended his senses to check on everyone. Everyone seemed to be at rest. He extended his senses further. Finally, he realized what Bulma was talking about. "Get everyone up now," he said quickly. Bulma nodded and ran down the hall.

Bulma knew this task would be rather hard. When Saiyans slept, they  _slept_. At first, she had thought they all shared the same keen senses as Vegeta when they slept. Vegeta had always been aware of his surroundings even as he slept. Bulma could wake him up just by waking up herself. Unfortunately, the others slept like rocks and it was near impossible to wake them unless they wanted to be awakened. She stopped at the first door and opened it. The light turned on.

 _Saiyans also seem to have some sort of aversion to sleeping in clothes_ , she thought with a roll of her eyes. She walked over to the Saiyan in the bed and pulled his tail. She easily stepped back and avoided his strike. After years of doing this, she was prepared for their usual reactions.

Raditz blinked a few times as Bulma's form became clearer in his eyes. "Damnit, Bulma! Are you trying to die?" he yelled. Bulma crossed her arms. It was then that she noticed the tail wrapped around his left arm. Unless he had grown two tails, someone else was in bed with him. Bulma reached for the sheet that was thrown haphazardly across the bed. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of Kinomi still asleep beside him. Raditz noticed what she was looking at and started scratching the back of his head nervously.

Deciding to say nothing on the subject, Bulma crossed her arms. "Vegeta is here. Help me get everyone up."

* * *

Piccolo and Nail watched as the eight space pods landed on the horizon. Ironically, they had landed rather close to the Saiyans. Both Nameks could feel the power of the newcomers. One was clearly masking his ki while the others had no concept of concealing it. They could guess which was which.

"If that is his ki at rest," Nail looked at Piccolo, "what is his ki at full power?"

"Kakarrot said the one called  _Vegeta_  is stronger than him. That means he is stronger than us. There's no telling how far his ki goes, but it is best that we do not let him roam the planet," Piccolo answered. "I will go assist the Saiyans. You stay here and protect the Grand Elder and the Dragon Ball." Before Nail could object, Piccolo had taken off.

While in flight, Piccolo kept track of the eight newcomers. They had not moved from their position yet. The Saiyans appeared to be keeping their ki low as well. Piccolo remembered them saying something about an object that could read ki levels and locate anyone. Flying would draw attention to him and that was exactly what Piccolo wanted.

 _As long as they're focused on me they can't hurt the villages_ , he reasoned. He picked up his speed.

Vegeta lounged in his pod. He was in no particular rush so he just sat there with his eyes closed. He was mentally mapping out the area around him. He knew there were residents nearby. None of the powers he sensed were enough to challenge him.  _These Nameks are pathetic. I was hoping for more of a challenge_ , he thought. With an annoyed growl, the prince rose out of his pod and stepped into the crater. Cui was already out of his crater and looking down at Vegeta.  _I should just kill him and blame it on a Namek_. A morbid smirk came to Vegeta's face at the thought.

Cui watched Vegeta levitate out of the crater. "Took you long enough. Did you forget we have a job to do?"

"Of course not. But I will do it at my leisure. I am in no rush, Cui." Vegeta landed in the grass softly. He glanced around at the landscape. He blinked a few times. "Have I been here before?" he whispered underneath his breath.

"What was that?" Cui came up behind him. Vegeta ignored his query and instead continued to scan their surroundings. Cui's scouter beeped and he turned his head to the right. "There was just a high reading coming from that direction. It's surrounded by smaller, inconsequential readings."

Vegeta turned his head in the direction that Cui was motioning to. He had felt the small surge of ki without his scouter telling him. The ki was definitely different from the majority of the others. It had a different... edge to it. It was more primal.  _Almost like a Saiyan's ki_ , he realized. Without thinking further on it, Vegeta took off towards the source.

* * *

"Lower your ki, boy!" Nappa said loudly to Trunks. The sleepy child blinked a few times at him. Then he consciously tried to lower his ki. He had not yet gotten used to holding it in even while sleeping. Nappa sighed when he felt Trunks' ki lessen. "Put clothes on and go to your mother's bedroom. Take your sister, too."

Trunks was confused with the whole situation. Everyone seemed to be in a frenzy about something. He slowly got dressed with his sister and the two made their way to Bulma's room. She was sitting on her bed. "Mama?" Trunks asked quietly. Bulma looked up and smiled at the twins. "What's going on, Mama?"

Bulma patted the bed. The twins climbed up on either side of her and waited for answers. "Some... people are here. They might try to make trouble. So this is what I need you to do. Trunks, you stay here and protect your sister. Can you do that for me?"

The boy nodded slowly. "But who will protect you, Mama?"

"I'm a big girl, Trunks. No one needs to protect me. I'm going to make sure no one comes to harm you." She laughed softly as she saw his scowl. He looked so much like Vegeta. "Now you two stay in the house. Gohan will be here too. Try to keep your ki hidden as much as possible. Okay?" Bulma stood and Trunks nodded.

Chichi stepped outside of the cave. The rest of the Saiyans were waiting for her. She stood still, sensing the intruders on the planet. After a moment of silence, she nodded. "You guys already know the plan for the most part. Go to your assigned places. Fly low and try to keep your ki as low as possible. If you spot anyone, the first thing you need to do is take out their scouter. You cannot be seen until the scouter is gone."

Gohan tapped his mother's leg. She looked down at him. "What if someone finds us?"

"Then you will go out the back door of the house. The moment you sense someone close, take the twins to the tunnel and hide there. If you have to knock Trunks out in order to keep a scouter from sensing him do it." Chichi kneeled. "You have to keep them protected."

"Okay." Gohan was nervous about his new task. His father walked over to him and ruffled his hair. The boy gave a weak smile and then headed back inside the cave. He could hear everyone taking off.

Bulma looked overhead as the Saiyans took off in their respective directions. She was headed towards the village that was not too far from their cave. Just as she entered the village, a body landed directly in front of her. Bulma covered her mouth to keep from screaming. Then she noticed the white cape and turban. Rolling her eyes, she dropped her hand from her face.

"Damnit, Piccolo! You almost gave me a heart attack." She crossed her arms angrily. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Piccolo glared down at her. "The Saiyans left this place defenseless," he said. Bulma could not tell if it was meant to be a question or not. "Why would they do that?"

"They spread out to the other villages; especially the ones housing the Dragon Balls. Their ki would draw Frieza's scouts away from here. You should be protecting the Grand Elder, Piccolo." Bulma stepped around him. "Someone may come now that you're here."

"Don't be foolish. My ki is barely detectable; especially by some worthless  _machine_ ," Piccolo grumbled. He glanced around the village. For all intents and purposes, it appeared abandoned. The residents had been told to stay indoors once Frieza's scouts arrived. "Why did you come here?"

Bulma looked away from the tall Namek. "I am out here just in case anyone comes. I was going to stay in hiding. If someone was to land, I was going to..." She trailed off, thinking about what she had resolved to do should a scout wander into the village. She was going to kill them before they saw it coming. Five years had been ample time for her to get complete control over her powers. "Let's just say that I am not as powerless as I seem."

Piccolo looked down at her. "No, I don't suppose you are." Bulma opened her mouth to respond, but he held a hand up to silence her. He turned around and looked out at the lake behind them. "Something is out there."

Curious, Bulma tried to see around him. She could see nothing in the direction he was looking. "How can you tell? I don't see anything. I don't even feel a presence."

The Namek shook his head. "I can hear them."

* * *

Vegeta dropped to the ground and lowered his ki as far as it would go. He could see a village just across the lake he stood in front of. The area seemed eerily familiar, but he was certain he had never set foot on this planet before. He vaulted over a rock and headed towards the lake. He calmly glided across the water and landed on the other side. To his left, he could see a cave. He turned his scouter on.

 _Nothing. I'm just being paranoid_ , he thought. He shut the scouter off and made his way up the hill towards the village. Just as he was coming over the top of the hill, his scouter suddenly shattered. Vegeta did not even flinch has his scouter fell from his head, broken into several pieces.  _That was unexpected. I didn't even see the attack_. He glanced down at the destroyed scouter. Then he looked around for the culprit.

"You can either show yourself or I can come and find you. You don't want me to come and find you," Vegeta said loud enough for anyone near to hear.

Bulma inhaled sharply at the sound of his voice. Her heart raced and she took deep breaths to keep from hyperventilating. It dawned on her that the reason why she did not feel a presence was because she had never been able to sense Vegeta without being in direct contact with him. He kept talking and all she did was listen. His voice was mildly different; deeper and strangely placid. It both terrified and excited her.

She slowly turned and peered around the hut she hid behind. Vegeta was walking down the main path, still calling for the one who destroyed his scouter. He stopped walking and talking and looked all around him. Bulma wondered where Piccolo had gone. He'd literally shoved her into hiding and then disappeared.

"I'll give you to the count of three. One..." Vegeta held his right arm out, putting his palm up. A small blue ki ball began forming. It quickly doubled in size. "Two..." He released the ki.

 _Shit!_  Piccolo cursed. He flew as fast as he could to deflect the attack from the houses. There was enough power in it to level the entire village plus some. He believed he was too late when the ki suddenly exploded.

* * *

The cave shook and rocks could be heard falling on top of the house. Gohan glanced up, hoping the house would not cave in on them. When the shaking stopped, he looked at the twins. They had been playing a game. Now they were both staring up. The older boy stood up from his seat. "Come on, guys. We have to hide."

Trunks and Okura watched the older boy head to the back door of the house. Glancing at each other, they followed after Gohan without question. Gohan tried to open the door. It proved to be harder than he thought. The door opened a crack and all he could see was rocks. The cavern had caved in, preventing them from reaching the tunnel. Gohan knew he could not use his ki to blast the rocks away. That would only alert whoever was above them. He closed the door.

"What's wrong?" Trunks asked. The house creaked around them. Trunks jumped when Okura suddenly grasped his hand. "What's happening?"

Gohan did not answer, not wanting to frighten the boy. "We can't stay in here. It sounds like the place is gonna fall apart. Come on." He knew he had no choice. They had to leave the cave. He went to the kitchen and pulled out the bag of emergency capsules. Trunks and Okura stayed close to him. Together, the three made it outside of the cave. Instead of walking up the hill, they sat right at the bottom of it. Gohan put a finger to his lips. The twins understood and nodded.

* * *

Piccolo uncovered his eyes. He glanced around as the dust began to clear. He gaped when he saw that the village was completely intact. The only difference was the fissure that had been created where Vegeta's blast had been stalled. His attention shifted to finding Bulma, but the prince found him first. Before he knew it, he was sent to the ground by something hard. He could not tell if it had been a fist or a foot. All he knew was that it hurt like hell.

The powerful Namek was sure that Vegeta had crushed some ribs. He did not think he'd ever been hit that hard in his life. The warrior tried to pull himself out of the crater his body had created. As soon as his head raised a bit, a booted foot came down on his face, slamming it back into the ground.

"Did you destroy my scouter and block my attack, Namek?" Vegeta asked.

Piccolo grunted and tried to move out from underneath Vegeta's foot. The prince let up enough to allow him to speak. "Perhaps your technology was flawed," Piccolo said. He knew the scouter was Bulma's handiwork. How Vegeta's attack had somehow been blocked was a mystery to him.

The prince leaned down and relaxed on his bent knee. It placed more pressure on Piccolo's head and he smirked when he heard the satisfying sound of bones breaking. "It doesn't matter one way to me. You're still going to die. However, I hate having to buy those things. They're too fucking expensive." He pushed even more. Piccolo felt as if his head was going to simply explode.

"It was me!"

* * *

Trunks perked up at the sound of his mother's voice. He started to stand but Gohan held him down. The older boy shushed him. "But..."

"My mom said we gotta stay outta sight. We can't let them see us." Gohan could see Trunks' apprehension. "She will be fine. She's strong," he reassured. Trunks settled back down. Okura took his hand and squeezed it. Gohan nodded as he saw the twins relax against the hillside. He stretched his senses and felt that Piccolo's was low. He wondered if he should help, but if Piccolo had been taken down, what use would he be?

* * *

Bulma's hands were blistered. It felt as if she'd held her hands down on hot coals. She had done the only thing she thought to do when she saw Vegeta's attack. She held her hands out in an effort to shield the huts it was directed towards. She had thought it would not be enough but somehow she managed to block it.  _I drew power from somewhere. But where?_

Vegeta was watching her. It was as if he was trying to decide if he believed her admission or not. He turned away from her and kicked Piccolo in the face, successfully breaking the Namek's nose and rendering him unconscious.  _Pathetic_ , he thought. He turned to face the lavender-haired woman. He paused momentarily.  _Lavender hair_...

"How did a little slip of a thing like you block my attack? Your ki is laughable. It's practically nonexistent." Vegeta cocked his head to the side as he approached her. "You don't look like you'd be good at anything but warming my bed at night," he taunted. He saw her close her eyes and take a deep breath.

 _Remember, Bulma. He doesn't know what he's saying. He doesn't know what he's saying. He doesn't_... She chanted the mantra mentally several times before she calmed down. Any other time, she would have given him a piece of her mind but this Vegeta was unpredictable.  _To hell with that. I'll be damned if I let his ass speak to me like that_.

"I'd never lower myself to share a bed with you," she quipped.

" _Lower yourself_? Woman, I'm an upgrade. But you aren't a Namek. What are you and why are you on this planet?"

How could she steer the conversation so that it went to a place where he might humor her? "I'm from Aoi-sei. My planet was destroyed. You work for Frieza. You should know that, Vegeta."

At the sound of his name, Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Sure, everyone knew of him. Not too many actually knew what he looked like, though. Not many lived long enough to tell. "How do you know me, woman? Don't lie. I don't like liars."

Now that his scouter was gone, Bulma could speak freely with him. She swallowed as he grew closer. She could see the blackness in his eyes now. He stopped a few feet from her, waiting for her answer. "I used to work for Frieza, too. I worked with you and your kin."

Vegeta's eyes widened. He reacted the way Bulma knew he would. "My  _kin_? Woman, I am the last Saiyan."

"No, you're not." Bulma coughed as his hand was suddenly around her neck. He slammed her into a hut, knocking the wind out of her. "You're not alone, Vegeta."

"You're a liar, woman. Didn't I say that I detest liars?"

Bulma raised her hands slowly and took hold of the arm that held her against the wall of the hut. "I am not lying. You felt it. You felt Saiyan ki on this planet. You know what I say is true." She was started gasping. The more she spoke, the less air she was being afforded from his grip. "You know me. You know them. Frieza is the liar, Vegeta. He's been..." He threw her to the ground. Her head hit the side of another hut. She felt herself losing consciousness, but fought through it. She raised herself up to a sitting position.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "You're pretty tough for a such a weak bitch," he said blandly.

"I'm not that tough." Bulma raised her eyes and glared at him. "I seem to remember you being much stronger, though. Five years ago, you simply choking me would've killed me. I would've thought after so long that you would've grown in strength. Instead, it seems as though you've gotten weaker."

A swift kick to her abdomen sent Bulma sliding across the ground. She groaned as she came to a stop. Vegeta was in front of her before she could roll over. He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her by it. She struggled to get away from him but his grip was far too tight. Vegeta found her fight intriguing. He knew she knew she was outclassed in every way yet she still fought for him to release her. He took note of her eyes. They seemed somewhat familiar.

"Your spirit is admirable, woman. It won't..."

" _MAMA!_ "

Vegeta turned his head to see the lavender-haired boy from his dreams. He looked absolutely livid.  _The boy's ki seems strange_. His hold loosened on Bulma and he dropped her to the ground. He saw the tail thrashing from side to side behind the boy.  _He's a Saiyan. A purple-haired Saiyan?_

Bulma shook off her dizziness and turned her body. She saw Gohan trying to restrain Trunks from running to her. "Go back, Trunks!" she yelled hoarsely. Trunks slipped out of Gohan's grip. "Get away!"

Seeing how the woman reacted to the boy, Vegeta smirked and snatched him up by the hair just as he passed. He turned his gaze to the other boy. He too had a tail, but his features were far more Saiyan than the brat in his grasp. Vegeta growled at the boy and turned his attention to the child he held. He had the same color eyes as his  _mama_. He even struggled like her. There was something about the child, though. Something about him that struck a nerve within Vegeta. He was momentarily awed by the child. The prince was brought from his reverie when the boy finally landed a punch in his face. It actually hurt.

"You fucking little..."

Trunks blinked as he was suddenly released. He landed on his backside, confused as to what had just happened. He looked up and saw Bulma standing in front of him. She looked as though she could collapse at any moment, but she stood just the same.

Bulma watched as Vegeta staggered back a few feet, holding his head in pain. She stood her ground in front of her son. "I once told you I would die for you, Vegeta. That has not changed. You can beat me and even kill me, but believe me when I tell you that I will  _end_  you if you lay a hand on my child."

The prince shook his head. The voices he'd heard started to subside and with it the pain. He glanced up at the woman. He'd heard her threat and was impressed. But what else had she said?  _Something about dying for me._

She saw that one of his eyes had changed color slightly. She had one shot at this.  _Now or never_.

"You believe you know me, woman. You don't know shit about me. I will be the one ending..." He stopped talking as she threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him as tightly as she could. Vegeta was too shocked to do anything. Just a moment ago she had threatened to kill him. Now she was embracing him. Growling, he got ready to crush her body against his in an effort to kill her. Just as he wrapped his arms around her, he caught a whiff of her scent.

Bulma felt him pause. His grip loosened on her sides, allowing her to breathe again. She held him tighter when she realized he was scenting her.  _Please let this work_ , she prayed silently. Would he remember her scent after all this time? Would it pull him out of his mind? Would he kill her? She got her answer when he suddenly held her at an arm's length.  _Vegeta_...

The prince blinked some of the darkness from his eyes. He stared at Bulma like he was seeing her for the first time. "Bulma?" he whispered.

She smiled in relief and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Vegeta." Then Bulma frowned. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Before Vegeta could inquire about her apology, his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Bulma released him and let him fall to the ground.

Then everything went black.


	23. Reunion

Kakarrot swiftly snapped the neck of one of the scouts. The alien fell and Kakarrot smashed his scouter. Just as he did so, he felt the surge of Vegeta's ki. He turned his head in the direction of it.  _That's where we left Gohan and the twins. Piccolo is there too_ , he thought. He scanned the area around him for any more of Frieza's scouts. The only life around him were the residents of the village. Figuring they'd be safe, Kakarrot got ready to take off. Then Piccolo's ki dipped dangerously low.

"Damn. I've gotta hurry." He took off, not caring about setting off any other scouters.

* * *

Cui's scouter beeped just as he landed in a village.  _Damnit, Vegeta! Who did you blow up already?_  He weighed his options about going to see what the prince had gotten himself into. Before anything could be done, a small blast of ki buzzed past his head. It struck his scouter, destroying it. The pieces fell from his face and he looked around frantically for his assailant.

"Looking for me?" came the whisper in his ear. Cui turned around, swinging at the air. He heard laughter from above him and looked up. Kinomi levitated above him with a smile on her face. "Don't look so surprised to see me, Cui."

The fish-faced soldier frowned at her. "What are you doing on this planet? Wait until Frieza hears about this."

"And just how will Frieza find out? Your only means of communication was just destroyed. Furthermore," Kinomi phased right in front of his face, "what makes you think you're even going to live past this moment?"

Cui did not know how he knew, but he could tell the Saiyan princess was stronger than him. He knew when he was outmatched and he was in no rush to die. "I know something about your brother that you don't. If you want to stop him, you'll need my help."

Kinomi took a step away from him, narrowing her dark eyes. She crossed her arms. "You have my attention."

* * *

Kakarrot landed back in the village near the cave. He could see the minor destruction that marred the area. A few of the residents were outside talking amongst themselves. Kakarrot searched for Piccolo's ki. He found it coming from the hut at the center of the village. It was the elder's hut. He went up to the door. Before he could knock, the door swung open.

Gohan looked up at his father. "Dad! Piccolo is hurt. Elder Moori is trying to heal him," he said loudly. He pulled Kakarrot by the arm inside the house. The two Saiyans went to a room where the elder and two Namekian children were standing over Piccolo. The warrior Namek was in terrible shape and his face was barely recognizable. Moori hovered over him, a golden light coming from him.

Kakarrot said nothing as he observed the healing process. He glanced around the room and saw two other bodies occupying mats on the floor. The Saiyan made his way across the room and kneeled down. Bulma was laying on one mat and Vegeta was beside her. Kakarrot observed the bruises on Bulma's neck and arms. She had been bleeding from somewhere on her head. Blood had run down her face. Kakarrot tentatively checked her pulse and released a sigh when he felt it. Then he looked over at Vegeta.

The prince's appearance had not changed much, but he did seem more muscular and perhaps even a little taller. It was hard to tell since he was laid out on a mat. There were no visible wounds on Vegeta, but Kakarrot knew that Bulma must've done something to get him down. Vegeta's face was strangely relaxed.

Kakarrot looked to his right. Trunks and Okura were sitting against the wall, leaning on each other. They were both fast asleep. Kakarrot looked to Gohan. "What happened? Why didn't you guys stay in the house?"

Gohan swallowed. "Something happened out here and then the rocks started falling. We couldn't get to the tunnel so we came outside. Then we heard Bulma in trouble. Trunks tried to help her and then Bulma helped save him. Elder Moori came outside and put Trunks and Okura to sleep. Then he started to help everyone else," he said quickly. Kakarrot nodded and patted Gohan on the head. He stood and made his way back over to Moori.

The elder was finishing up his healing on Piccolo. The warrior Namek looked far better than he did just moments ago. When the healing light disappeared, Piccolo's eyes opened and he sat up. He rubbed his jaw and moved it around to get the stiffness out. He saw Kakarrot standing behind Moori and narrowed his eyes.

"Where is he?" Piccolo asked.

"Who? Vegeta?" Kakarrot watched Piccolo nod. "Well, he's a little out of it right now. Whatever Bulma did to him has him unconscious."

Piccolo got to his feet as Moori silently moved towards Bulma. "You all grossly underestimated his strength. You said he was close to you in strength and that his strength had been at least halved. He took me out with a single strike."

"Really?" Kakarrot's eyes lit up. He looked back at Vegeta. "I can't wait to spar with him to see how strong he's become."

"Spar with him?" Piccolo resisted the urge to slap Kakarrot upside his head. "He just tried to destroy an entire village without a second thought. I'd be dead if that woman had not intervened." The tall Namek did not seem to like admitting that as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course I wanna spar with him! It's fun to fight the prince!" Kakarrot heard groaning and turned around. Bulma was starting to come around. He faced Piccolo once again. "The rest of the scouts have been taken care of. The Dragon Balls are safe for now. That doesn't mean that Frieza won't send reinforcements. We'll have to think of something to divert his attention."

Bulma was temporarily blinded by the golden light above her. She noticed the lack of pain in her body as the light began to fade. Once the light was gone, she saw Moori standing over her. Before she could say anything, little Dende helped her sit up and handed her a goblet of water.

"You were foolish for standing up to him like that," Moori said, motioning to the still-unconscious Vegeta.

"It was either stand up to him or let him destroy this village. I couldn't stand by and do nothing." Bulma sipped the water to get the dryness out of her throat. She handed the cup back to Dende with a nod of thanks before looking to her left. Vegeta was still unconscious beside her. Then her eyes widened. "Where are my..."

"Shhhh," Moori said quietly. He pointed to the twins leaning against the wall. Bulma sighed with relief when she saw her children. She slowly stood and made her way over to them. She looked at Trunks first. The boy did not have a single scratch on him. Okura was fine as well. Bulma looked back at Moori for answers. "They were both unharmed, but quite frightened. I thought it best to put them to sleep. They will wake later."

Bulma nodded in thanks. She wondered briefly what their reactions would be to finding out who Vegeta was. After all, the prince did just try to kill her. That was probably quite traumatizing. She mentally cursed as she thought of the explaining she would have to do in order to get the twins not to fear their sire. She turned her attention back to Vegeta.

"Will he be back to himself when he wakes up?" Kakarrot asked.

"I honestly have no idea. I do know that he'll probably be quite pissed." Bulma touched Vegeta's forehead. His skin was cooler than usual, but still warmer than her own body temperature. "I need more information on whatever was controlling him."

"I think I can help with that." Everyone turned to see Kinomi standing in the doorway. She had her arms crossed and was wearing a cocky smirk. "I have recently acquired information that there is a chip somewhere in Vegeta's brain that has modified both his memory and behavioral patterns. We find the chip and we can get Vegeta back." She walked over to Bulma and kneeled down beside her.

"We'll need to see if Juu has found anything out," Bulma said quietly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Juu was staring at two images of Vegeta's brain. "I believe I have found the chip. Krillyn, we need to send these images to the Saiyans."

Krillyn winced at the mention of the Saiyans. "Oh, I meant to tell you this earlier, but Tarble made contact a few hours ago. Apparently, Frieza's scouts made landfall on Namek ear..." His voice trailed off at the cold glare Juu gave him. "I didn't think it too important at the time. You were asleep and you needed the rest. I told Tarble to contact..."

"They were early. How did they get there so fast? Do you have any other information?" Juu asked.

"They aren't in any immediate danger at the moment. Tarble said that the scouts had been dealt. They are keeping two alive: Vegeta and the one called Cui."

Juu nodded. She turned her attention back to the scans of Vegeta's brain. "Send these to Tarble. I don't know what to do about the chip, though. On a planet like Namek, it isn't like they can perform any type of brain surgery to remove the chip."

* * *

Frieza frowned as he watched his soldiers try to establish contact with Vegeta and his scouts. So far, not one scouter was responding. Even the pods were not responding. It was not strange for Vegeta to disregard his calls, but Cui knew better than to ignore Frieza. The overlord was growing impatient and perhaps even a little concerned. He had no real knowledge of Namek or its natives. He had no idea how strong they were, but not many could match Vegeta's power.

"Do we keep trying, my lord?" Dodoria asked.

The overlord shook his head. "Wait until tomorrow. We will try again. Perhaps they have encountered trouble and are battling." Frieza turned and left the room in his chair. Just as he got to the hallway, a holographic picture appeared in front of him. His older brother was smiling at him. "Cooler. What a pleasant surprise."

"Good evening, little brother. I've heard how busy you've been. Many are talking about how you're eliminating that bothersome rebellion. I thought by now that they'd all been killed."

Frieza narrowed his eyes for a moment but then gave a false smile. "You know how these little bugs are, brother. You kill them and more just keep popping up. I've yet to find the  _leader_  of this little revolt. Once I find the source, I can complete the job."

"I must say that it was genius having Vegeta do the dirty work." Cooler went quiet for a moment. "You still haven't found your little witch, have you?"

"No."

Cooler nodded. "How is it that she simply vanished? You don't think Vegeta killed her when he destroyed that arcology, do you? That would be such a shame. She was such an asset to our operation. Perhaps you would like Baba to assist you again."

"I want no part of that witch, Cooler." The reminder of Baba made Frieza cringe. He still owed the old woman, but he was going to weasel his way out of their deal any way he could. Death was not an option, but the Dragon Balls offered him a way out. If he could not die, then he could not serve the witch, could he? "My concern is not Bulma. I have all the time in the galaxy to find her. Right now, I'm more focused on my money and eradicating this rebel faction."

"If you say so, little brother."

"Goodbye." Frieza ended the call without waiting for a response. He knew Cooler knew about his deal with Baba. His older brother was probably trying to see how Frieza would escape the servitude he was due for in death.

_Nosy bastard. I'll have to keep the secret of the Dragon Balls away from him at all costs._

* * *

"Maybe we don't need to remove it," Tarble said. He was looking at the new images. The chip was located between Vegeta's right frontal and temporal lobes. The youngest Saiyan prince glanced at his brother. When had it been implanted? He could not remember any gap in time where Vegeta had been away from them. If he had known it was there he would've removed it when he removed the tracking chips. He looked at Bulma. She still had not moved from her spot beside Vegeta. "Bulma?"

The lavender-haired woman turned and looked back at Tarble. "What is it?"

"How did you get the chip out of your head?"

Bulma narrowed her eyes. She looked away from Tarble. "I... don't know. I just scratched it out." She thought back to the day when she had been freed from the limiting chip. "You said it had shorted when you examined it. I think when I started spending time around Vegeta, my powers grew more powerful and the chip overloaded."

Tarble tapped his finger against his head and he entered deep thought.  _So being around Vegeta helped release her power and overcome the chip. Bulma placed her own limiter on Vegeta. Limiting his power must have made it easier for the chip to take hold of him. Perhaps if something overloads it, then it will short out like hers did. But, that would require giving Vegeta his full power back. There's no guarantee it will work and he won't wake up and kill us all. Is that a chance I'm willing to take?_  He looked at his older brother. So far Vegeta had shown no signs of returning to the conscious plane.  _I'm willing to take that chance_.

"Release Vegeta from the limit you placed on him."

Everyone looked at Tarble in shock. Bulma stood up and moved away from Vegeta. "If I do that, there's no telling what will happen. What if the power surge doesn't fry the chip? Vegeta could just kill us all."

"You said that he reverted before you rendered him unconscious. He clearly remembers you. Whether he remembers the rest of us is a different story. Are you keeping him unconscious?"

Bulma sighed. She had not realized it, but she was keeping Vegeta unconscious. "If I do this, I'll need to do it alone. Everyone leave. He might remember me, but if he sees everyone else here he might react." She sat back down beside Vegeta. She heard everyone shuffle out of the hut. Kinomi and Tarble each picked up one of the sleeping twins and took them out of the room.

The room went quiet. Bulma stared down at Vegeta blankly. She had no idea how she was going to remove the limiter. She tried to remember how she had initially put the limit on. She realized it had all been mental. She'd simply made Vegeta believe his maximum was different. Bulma touched his hand.  _I hope this works_.

* * *

Outside, Raditz and Turles were tossing rocks out of the cavern. The cavern had not completely caved in, but there were a few rocks that could potentially cause a problem. On Chichi's orders, they began clearing the rocks. The brothers paused when they heard talking and voices approaching them.

"What's going on?" Raditz asked. Kakarrot came around the corner with Tarble and Kinomi. He noticed the twins carrying the younger set of twins. "What happened to them? Are they all right? Is Bulma..."

"She's fine. She's dealing with Vegeta right now," Kakarrot replied swiftly. Raditz nodded slowly and went back to clearing the rocks. "Is the house still safe?"

"It should be. We're just moving a few around to make sure there are no safety hazards. We'll need to clear the rocks blocking the exit tunnel later on as well. If push comes to shove, we'll just use the spare house," Turles answered. Satisfied with that answer, Kakarrot went to find Chichi. She was down by the lake. Gohan had made it over to her. Both of them sat watching Cui.

Cui noticed that all the Saiyans were there. He was honestly surprised by this. He took notice of the way the young boy sat down close to Chichi. There was doubt that he was her child. She noticed him examining Gohan and narrowed her eyes. She glanced at the ki cuffs that surrounded Cui's wrists and ankles. Cui winced as they tightened and burned his purple skin.

 _Evil witch_ , he thought angrily.  _Just wait until Frieza hears about them_. He straightened his posture, determined not to appear weak in front of the woman watching him. He saw Kakarrot come up behind Chichi. He took note of Cui but did not address him.

"How did he get here?"

"Kinomi. She told me to watch him. What do you think we should do with him?" Chichi asked, never taking her eyes away from Cui. Seeing how he was eyeing her son, her tail wrapped protectively around the boy. "I think we should let Vegeta decide. He never really liked Cui anyway."

"That's only if Bulma can..." Kakarrot paused as he felt Vegeta's ki skyrocket. He turned back around towards the village. Everyone else had felt it as well and were looking in the same direction. Kakarrot tried to find Bulma's ki beneath Vegeta's but it was hard. When he finally sensed it, he could not sense any fear from her. Beneath him, Chichi started to rise. He halted her with a hand. "Bulma said not to go inside. She got Vegeta to recognize her, but she doesn't know if he'll remember anyone else. It's best if we wait."

* * *

Bulma began to pull away from Vegeta. Just as she tried to remove her hand from his chest, he immediately took hold of her wrist. She froze, unsure of what was about to happen. The prince opened his eyes. "Vegeta?" Bulma whispered. He turned his eyes towards her. There was recognition but also tiredness. She could feel that he was himself again. He released her wrist slowly and was losing the battle to keep his consciousness.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey," came the response. Then Vegeta gave in to unconsciousness.

 _He's okay_. Bulma let out a sigh of relief.

* * *

Nappa sighed as he left the children's bedroom. They were finally asleep. It had taken much convincing that their mother was perfectly fine, but Trunks and Okura had relaxed enough to succumb back to their sleepiness. Vegeta's massive power-up had woken the twins and they had been incredibly hyper afterwards. Not to mention that Bulma had holed herself up in her room with Vegeta. The prince had yet to wake as his body got used to his restored ki.

 _This is why I don't have brats. Too many questions. Too much energy. Just... too much_ , the older Saiyan thought as he rubbed his own eyes. As he passed Bulma's room, he thought about checking on her. Chichi had been the only one to go inside since they moved Vegeta to the house from Moori's hut. He stood staring at the door but did not enter. Instead, he crossed his arms and kept heading towards his own room. He cringed as he passed Kakarrot and Chichi's room. The younger male's snoring had intensified.

* * *

Inside her room, Bulma sat beside the bed staring down at the sleeping prince. She'd been advised not to sit too close to Vegeta but she ignored the warning. There was no telling what he would do when he woke up. Would he still remember? If he did not remember, would he get violent? Bulma's hand subconsciously went to her wrist. Thankfully, he had not squeezed her wrist too hard. Chichi had slathered some healing salve on her minor injury but it did not negate the stiffness she felt.

She saw him stir but he did not wake. His eyes moved around under his eyelids. He had to be dreaming. Bulma bit her lip. She was tired of waiting. She got up from the chair and sat down softly on the bed. Vegeta still did not wake. She hesitantly reached forward and ran a hand through his hair. She did it again and noticed that the tension in his face disappeared. He turned his head towards her.

"Wake up, Vegeta," Bulma said quietly. She kept running her hand through his hair. Vegeta did not wake. Bulma frowned. She took a deep breath and leaned down to his face. She slowly and tenderly put her forehead against his.

 _Wake up, Vegeta. Please wake up_.

Vegeta could feel her near him. He could hear her voice. She was imploring him to awaken. Was he asleep? How long had he been asleep? She was still calling. She sounded sad. She kept calling to him, but how was he supposed to reach her?

 _Just open your eyes. Open your eyes for me_ , she said. So he did.

"Bulma," Vegeta whispered. Bulma opened her eyes and sat up a bit. Vegeta was staring at her in the muted light. He did nothing but look into her eyes. He noticed the tears in them. "Don't cry on me, woman."

She tried to laugh but it came out as a choked whimper. "Jerk," she murmured. She began to sit up in order to help him up but he pulled her back down to him. Her eyes widened as he did nothing but look into her eyes.

"No one else in the galaxy has eyes like yours," he said. The tears started to fall and Bulma broke into uncontrollable sobs. She hugged him tightly. Vegeta was stiff for a moment but then he sighed and let her cry on him.

Bulma could not believe how hard she was crying. She knew Vegeta hated her tears and she tried to stop them but they just kept coming. She was crying so hard she was starting to have trouble breathing. She sat up to let Vegeta breathe himself. He pulled himself up along with her and watched her. Bulma hid her face in her hands.

"I'm sorry. I... I just..." Words failed her. It dawned on her that she had never really expressed her feelings about Vegeta. She had not even cried when she found out he was gone. The only emotion she'd shown was anger and all that had included was a massive temper tantrum that involved throwing objects around and beating relentlessly on Kakarrot. After that, she was pretty closed off with her emotions. This was five years' worth of anger, sadness, worry, and frustration coming out. "I... can't... stop," she stammered out between sobs.

Vegeta did not know what to do. He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Bulma cry. The only thing he figured he could do was let her get it out of her system. He sat and watched her weep for the next 5 minutes. When she finally got herself under control, Bulma stood up to turn on the light. She faced him again and leaned against the wall. Vegeta took in her appearance.

Not much had changed about her. Her hair was shorter, but Vegeta found that it suited her more mature appearance. Her face was still flushed from the tears. Her body had changed somehow, but Vegeta could not quite place what it was that was different. Dismissing it, Vegeta swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.

"You look exhausted, woman," he said plainly.

"Says the man who's been sleeping for the past eight hours. Do you remember anything from earlier today?" Bulma watched him look away. He crossed his arms and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Vegeta racked his brain. He remembered. He remembered far more than he ever wanted to remember. He remembered everything he'd done for the past five years quite vividly. "I do," he finally answered after a long minute. "I remember almost everything."

Bulma knew that he was talking about more than just the past day. She was sure that at this time he did not want to discuss his past actions; if he ever would. She clasped her hands together and looked down at the floor. She felt oddly shy all of a sudden. "Until a month ago, I was beginning to doubt that I'd ever see you again. Then we got word that Juu's people caught up with you. And then we found out that you'd be coming here. I still haven’t figured out if that was a good thing."

The prince stopped and stood about five feet from Bulma. He crossed his arms and continued to watch as she avoided his gaze. After a few minutes, she finally looked back up at him. Vegeta could not make sense of her expression. Was she scared? Uncertain? Happy? Sad?

"You're taller," Bulma said quietly. It was a strange observation to vocalize, but for the first time she was really taking in Vegeta's appearance. "You're taller and... bulkier."

"Does my appearance suddenly displease you, woman?" Vegeta began approaching her again.

Bulma shook her head almost immediately. "No. Of course not. You're just different." She pressed herself against the wall when Vegeta was inches away from her. She could clearly see the more pronounced angles in his stern face. Even his eyes appeared sharper. "It's a  _good_  different, though. There's nothing wrong with different."

"I see." Vegeta leaned forward. "Where is the bathroom in this place, woman? I, too, would like to see how different I am."

"Take a left when you leave. It's the third door on the right," Bulma mumbled quickly. Vegeta nodded and swept out of the room. Bulma exhaled, having no idea that she'd been holding her breath. If anything, the way Vegeta made her feel definitely had not changed. She walked over to her bed and sat down with a sigh.

* * *

After taking in his more adult appearance, Vegeta left the bathroom. He stood in the dark hall for a moment. He let his senses roam and feel all the Saiyans' ki. He would never admit it, but he had missed his comrades on a subconscious level. He came across Gohan's ki in the room at the farthest end of the hall to his left. He sensed another unfamiliar ki that was rather strong as well as a very weak one. Curious, he headed towards the room. When he cracked the door open, he saw a small light was on. He entered the room and stood in the middle.

Gohan was sprawled across the top bunk. Like his father, he also snored. Below him was another boy. He was nearly hanging off the bed. The first thing Vegeta noticed was the boy's fair hair. Even in the darkness he could tell it was the same lavender as Bulma's. Vegeta took a few steps forward and kneeled down next to the child. He stared down in absolute wonder. After a few moments, Vegeta looked to his right and saw another bed. From his vantage point, all he could see was a bundle of covers. Right before he stood up, a brown tail latched itself around his wrist. He looked back at the boy. He mumbled something in his sleep and turned his head away. Vegeta gently pried the tail away from his wrist and stood. He walked over and looked down. There was a bit of lavender hair peeking out from beneath the sheets. Vegeta moved the sheets down slowly to see the little girl. She was the exact image of Bulma.

"Be very quiet. She's an extremely light sleeper." Vegeta turned his head and saw Bulma in the doorway. She was leaning against the pane, watching him. She waited patiently for him to say anything, but for the longest he remained in silence. Bulma shifted nervously and found herself cursing her inability to read him.

The prince was not stupid. It did not take a rocket scientist to know these children were sired by him. "Their names?" Vegeta finally asked. His voice was barely audible.

Bulma only just heard him. She took a few steps inside the room and stood behind Vegeta as he looked at the children. "His name is Vegeta. Everyone calls him Trunks, though."

"Preposterous name..."

She lightly slapped his shoulder. "I'll have you know that  _Trunks_  was my father's name. It is  _not_  stupid. Anyway, her name is Okura. Kinomi came up with the name." She noticed Vegeta's shoulders stiffen at the sound of Okura's name. She stepped up beside him. "Is something wrong?"

Vegeta remained silent and shook his head. "That's an acceptable name. It was the name of our mother."

Bulma's eyes widened at this new information. No one ever told her where the name came from. She had liked it when Kinomi suggested it. All Kinomi had said was that it was a strong Saiyan name. Now she knew why. "It's a beautiful name."

"They look so young. How old are they?"

"They're three." Buma saw the confusion on Vegeta's face. "The gestation periods for my people is thirty months. I only lasted about twenty. I think that had something to do with them being half Saiyan. That's why they're only about three in standard years."

Again, they lapsed into silence. Bulma was surprised at how well Vegeta seemed to be taking the new information that he was a father. She was also surprised that he had figured it out so quickly.  _Well, Trunks is basically a fair-haired version of him and Okura looks just like me. I certainly haven't been with anyone else_ , she mused. Suddenly, Vegeta left the room without a word. She sighed and pulled the covers back up over Okura, careful not to disturb the child too much. Then she followed him out.

Vegeta walked through the dark house. He found his way to the front door and threw it open. He discovered quickly that he was in a cave and walked briskly towards the light at the end of the tunnel. He vaguely heard footsteps behind him. Bulma was following at her own pace, giving him some space.

 _Brats. I come back after five years and discover I have fathered not one but two brats_ , he thought as he stepped out into the sunlight. For a moment he was blinded by the light. Then he was confused. Why was it still daytime? He glanced up at the sky.  _Three suns. That explains the cave_. He walked over to the edge of the lake and sat down on a rock. He could still hear Bulma approaching him from behind. She quietly sat down on a rock beside him and stared wordlessly at the water.

"Was..." Vegeta paused when she looked at him. He was not sure he wanted to ask the question. "Was it hard?"

Bulma looked blankly at him. She was unsure of what he was asking and he made no move to clarify. She could only guess he meant one thing: her pregnancy and the birthing. "It was hard. I'm not as physically strong as Chichi, so whenever they moved it was like they were rearranging my insides. By the fifteenth month, I couldn't move around very well so everyone pretty much forced me to stay in bed. The hardest part was the birthing. There was some... difficulty. Trunks' tail was strangling Okura. Okura was facing the wrong direction and Chichi had to... take her out manually. The pain was indescribable. I honestly would rather have preferred Frieza's punishment to childbirth. I was pretty beat up afterwards, but Moori offered to speed along my recovery by healing me. To tell you the truth, I honestly didn't think I would make it. I was so weak afterwards that I slept for days. Chichi took care of the twins during that time. By the way, do twins run in your family? Or were they common for Saiyans? Seems odd that it seems to happen so often. Multiple births was really rare on my planet."

Vegeta had been listening closely to her tale. It took him a moment to process her question, though. "Nappa once told me all Saiyans have a twin, but only the strongest survive in the womb. It has happened every few generations that both survive. It is rare that it happens within two generations."

”Wow. Survival of the fittest from fertilization,” Bulma mumbled.

”Indeed.” He caught Bulma trying to stifle a yawn. "Bulma, you are exhausted. Go rest."

"I'm fine, Vegeta." She looked him over again. "I haven't laid eyes on you in five years. I'm not even sure I'm not dreaming. I don't want to wake up and find out it was all a dream." The truth was that she was indeed exhausted. Restoring Vegeta's power had taken a lot out of her and she had spent hours waiting for him to wake up. The fatigue was starting to catch up with her. She tried to hide her yawn again, but the peacefulness of the area around them kept her from doing so. She could not even fight as Vegeta swept her up in his arms. "Vegeta, what... Put me down, dummy."

Vegeta leered down at her as he walked back towards the cave. "Woman, you're so tired that you couldn't even come up with a decent insult. You can barely keep your eyes open."

Bulma snorted but snuggled into his chest. "I'm terribly out of practice. My insults might be a little rusty for a while." She her eyes drifted shut as Vegeta entered the cave.

The prince sensed her heartbeat slow as she fell asleep in his arms. He carried her back to her room and laid her down on the bed. She immediately rolled over on her side, mumbling something about  _overgrown monkeys_. Rolling his eyes, he remained standing. He just watched her. Vegeta had no idea how long he stood there, but he finally decided to lay down beside her. She remained with her back facing him. He moved closer to her and inhaled her scent; the scent that had saved him.

She did not know it and he would probably never admit it to her, but Vegeta had missed her terribly. He had been a prisoner of his own mind for five years. He'd watched himself be with countless other women. Regardless of his reputation, the galaxy was full of women who would willingly bed him. From what he could remember, they were either purple-haired or had blue eyes. Subconsciously, his  _alter ego_  must have known he'd been pining for her. Suddenly, he felt guilty. He was certain there had been no others for Bulma. She'd waited. She'd held out hope that he would come back to her.

Vegeta's tail wrapped around Bulma's thigh. She hummed in her sleep as though she felt it. Vegeta slowly wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her to him. He closed his eyes and joined her in slumber. Later on, Bulma would think she had been dreaming the feeling of Vegeta being so close to her.

* * *

Kakarrot walked in the kitchen, yawning and stretching. The smell of food had dragged him from his slumber. Chichi was quickly stirring pots and filling up dishes. She already had several dishes ready to be served. Gohan was helping her by carrying the filled dishes towards the dining room to be sat on the table. Seeing how the Namekian population needed only water to survive, the Saiyans had to make due with hunting and the edible vegetation. Chichi could make anything edible and that's what she did.

"Smells good, Cheech." Kakarrot walked over to a plate and tried to pick a piece of meat off. He narrowly avoided a hot spoon as Chichi swung at him. "I just wanted a little taste."

Chichi pointed to the door. "Either you help Gohan set the table or you can go and stare at the wall. Either way, get out of my kitchen and don't eat the food," she scolded. Kakarrot pouted but did as she asked. He started helping Gohan set the table. When Kakarrot came back in after his third trip, Chichi halted him. "Have you seen Bulma or Vegeta?"

Kakarrot shook his head. "I would assume they're still asleep. Bulma never did say if Vegeta woke up or not. I guess she fell asleep watching over him."

"The woman is still in bed. Do not wake her."

All movement stopped in the kitchen. Chichi and Kakarrot looked towards the door to see their prince standing there. Chichi was temporarily speechless. She did not know how to address this moment. Luckily, Kakarrot was there to break the growing tension and uncertainty.

"That makes sense. She was up all night watching over you." Kakarrot's face turned into a thoughtful frown. "Why is your ki so high? I'm surprised I didn't sense you coming. I guess I was just distracted by the... Ow!"

"You think you're so sneaky, Kakarrot," Chichi said while shaking the spatula she'd just hit him with. "I told you to wait."

Vegeta blinked a few times. He realized that he while he was masking his ki, it was still relatively high. Bulma had restored his power in order to render the chip controlling him useless. While that had worked, Vegeta was not used to his power. He had grown more powerful even in his limited state, so now his power was even greater than before it was limited. He had no concept of true control at the moment.

 _I'm going to have to get this ki under better control_ , he thought with a sigh. He turned around to leave the bickering couple. Instead of an open doorway he came face to face with a blue-eyed girl.

Okura stared up at Vegeta with bright eyes and wonder. She said nothing. She just stared. It was starting to make Vegeta uncomfortable. He kneeled down to her level. Her eyes followed him and she continued staring. Her eyes never left his. It was like she was trying to discern whether he was a good guy or not.

"You look like Trunks."

The sound of a plate crashing to the floor startled Vegeta. He turned to look behind him. Chichi was staring at them with her mouth wide open. Kakarrot was also looking at Okura as if she'd just spoken in some random language. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta looked back at Okura.

"You think I look like the boy?" Vegeta asked. The girl nodded in response. "I had this face long before the boy was a seed, brat. He looks like me." He stood up straight and watched the girl grin up at him. She looked so much like Bulma. He wondered if she was as chatty as her mother, too. The last thing he hoped was that she was a child who would talk his ears off.

"Are you gonna stay with us from now on?" Okura asked suddenly. Vegeta gave her a shrug. The child seemed to accept that answer and said nothing else.

Vegeta turned his attention Kakarrot and Chichi. They were still staring open-mouthed at the child who was now clinging to his leg. Vegeta did not even seem to notice Okura hanging on to him. "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Chichi finally closed her mouth and took her eyes off of Okura. "That was the first time any of us have heard a sound come out of that child's mouth. She rarely even cried as a baby. Usually she just communicates telepathically with us."

"I'll be damned." Kinomi entered the kitchen with a yawn. She ruffled Okura's hair as she passed her brother. "The first person Okura speaks to is Geta. Somehow I'm not surprised that  _her highness_  waited so long to express herself vocally. The rest of us are clearly unworthy of that beautiful voice. Peasants, all of us."

Though Vegeta still hated the nickname, it was good to hear Kinomi refer to him by it. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of some sort of blue liquid. Facing Vegeta again, she winked at him as she passed. Nothing else was said between the siblings.

Vegeta looked down at the child who was still clinging to his leg. He walked with her to the hallway. "Do you not speak to them?" he asked. Okura shook her head. "Then why do you speak to me?"

Okura appeared thoughtful for a moment; or as thoughtful as a three-year-old could appear. "I like you," was her simple answer.

"And you hate everyone else?"

"No. But you're special. Mama thinks you're special, too." With that, she released Vegeta and ran to the room she shared with the boys. She returned, pulling her twin along with her. Trunks immediately tensed when he saw Vegeta. His tail that had been swaying from side to side wrapped protectively around his waist.

Vegeta stiffened as well. He remembered that the boy had seen him hurt his mother. The child had also landed a pretty decent punch on him. He mentally smirked at the boy's strength and bravery. The two children were looking at one another. Clearly they were communicating in some way. Then Trunks looked at Vegeta. He relaxed his tense stance.

"Okura says you're the sire," he said. Vegeta nodded his affirmation. "You hurt Mama. Nappa said the sire liked Mama and would never hurt her. But _you_ hurt Mama."

The boy's words hit Vegeta rather hard. He kneeled down to Trunks level. "You're too young to understand right now. Know this, though. Nappa is right. I do... _like_ your mother. I would never consciously hurt her. You have no reason to fear me."

Trunks scrutinized Vegeta for a moment. It was if he was trying to detect a lie and figure out if he could trust the man before him. After a few moments, he nodded. "You can’t ever hurt Mama again. You can’t ever make her cry," he said with more seriousness than a three-year-old should be capable of.

"You have my word, boy," Vegeta said with a nod.

"Time to eat!" Kakarrot called from the dining room. Trunks and Okura ran past Vegeta and disappeared into the room.

The prince debated on joining them for the meal. His stomach made the decision for him immediately. How long had it been since he had eaten properly? He went to the dining room. The chair at the head of the table was vacant. The rest of the Saiyans were already seated at the table, seemingly waiting for him. Vegeta sat down without a word and began filling his plate. Everyone quickly followed.

It was amazing how quickly everything fell back into routine. No one acted any different than usual. It was as if Vegeta had not been separated from his kin at all. Turles and Kakarrot still practically sparred over food while Chichi sent them warning glares. Nappa and Raditz told vulgar jokes. The only things that were different were the children at the table. Vegeta noticed the vacant chair to his right. He assumed that was where Bulma would sit. His answer came when he felt a hand on his shoulder. She smiled down at him and sat.

"Hi, Mama!" Trunks said through a mouthful. She smiled at him. "We met the sire."

"I noticed," Bulma said as she began filling her plate.

Chichi swallowed her food and looked down the table. "Okura spoke, Bulma."

Bulma stopped moving and looked at her daughter. Okura was too busy eating to see that all the attention had turned on her. Bulma looked back at Chichi. "Really? Who did she speak to?"

"The brat spoke to me. I still don't understand what the big deal is." Vegeta stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.

Bulma rolled her eyes.  _You spoke to Vegeta?_  she asked her daughter. All she got was a nod.  _Will you speak to me?_  Okura's answer was a shake of her head. Somehow, Bulma was not offended by Okura's favoritism. She had long ago figured that Okura would only speak to Vegeta.

"Oh, by the way," Kinomi looked down the table to Vegeta, "Cui's still alive. He's bound behind the house. We left him alive to see if you wanted to do anything with him."

Vegeta stopped eating for a moment. "I have no further business with him. Do as you please with him." He noticed the devious smile Raditz gave Kinomi but said nothing. "I do know one thing, though."

"What's that?" Turles asked without looking up.

"I cannot stay here long. If I stay too long, Frieza will begin to suspect things are not right and he will send more scouts. He might even come himself. I have to return to Planet Twelve no matter what happens," he answered.

The table grew quiet for a minute. The only sounds were the sounds of forks scraping against plates. Nappa stopped eating completely and dropped his fork. "You just got back and now you want to leave again?" He sounded angry.

"Relax, Nappa. I'm not leaving immediately. Seven days should be sufficient. But I need something to take back with me. This trip cannot be a complete waste."

"The Nameks will never let you take the Dragon Balls. Besides, we don't even know much about them. The rest of the scouts are all dead. You'll have to make up some sort of story that will appease Frieza until we figure out what we can do," Tarble piped up. "We need to give Frieza something that will occupy him. He's going to want the Dragon Balls regardless, but we need time."

Bulma put her fork down. There was only one thing in the galaxy that Frieza would not mind having instead of the Dragon Balls. "Take me instead," she said.

That put an end to all eating. Everyone looked at Bulma. The room was so quiet that one could hear the wind outside of the cave. Vegeta was glaring at Bulma as if she's said the most offensive thing possible. Bulma knew he was and she did not look up at him. She would lose her resolve if she did.

"And give Frieza  _both_  of you? Bulma, that's almost as bad as giving Frieza the Dragon Balls. You're so much more powerful than you were before. For all we know, Frieza could do what he did to Vegeta. If he gains control of your powers there's no telling what could happen. You aren't going back with Vegeta," Kinomi said firmly.

Bulma sighed. "If anyone has a better idea by all means let us hear it. Aside from the Dragon Balls, there is nothing else that will keep Frieza away from this planet for any length of time. All we can do is draw his attention elsewhere and I can do that."

Vegeta squeezed the fork he was holding so hard he started to bend it. "She's right," he muttered with a shake of his head.

"But, Vegeta..." Chichi began.

"She is  _right_. There is nothing else. I don't like the idea either, but we have no choice." Vegeta quickly finished his food and rose from the table. "Kakarrot, we spar in ten minutes." His tone did not leave it up for discussion. Vegeta swept out of the room and out of the house.

Chichi bit her lip. She saw Gohan finishing up. "Gohan, why don't you take the twins outside. Maybe they'd like to spend a little time watching Vegeta and your father," she said. Gohan nodded and looked at the twins. Trunks and Okura left the table with him. Chichi turned her attention to Bulma. "You're just going to leave them without both of their parents? This is the first time you're all together as a unit and it will only last a week?"

Bulma stared at her plate. "What would you have me do, Chichi? Stay and lead Frieza here?"

"We could leave the planet. We don't..."

"There is no Namek that could take on Frieza. Their most powerful was not even a challenge for a handicapped Vegeta. They'll be sitting ducks without the rest of you. It's only for a little while. I will not be gone for years like Vegeta," she said. "Besides, under no circumstances Frieza can find out about _them_."

"We could send the brats to one of the bases," Nappa suggested.

Tarble shook his head. "No. The bases are still being attacked. Even though they'll know ahead of time in order to escape, there is no guarantee the twins will be able to escape each time."

"I still don't like it..."

Bulma scoffed. "And you think I do? I don't want to leave my children. They're mine. But if I have to in order to protect them then I will. There is nothing that will change my mind." Bulma rose from the table and stormed out.

* * *

Vegeta found himself staring at the lake once again. He could hear the children coming outside of the cave. He turned and faced them. "Come here, boy," he said. Trunks seemed to know who he was talking to and ran forward to Vegeta. "Can you fly?" he asked. Trunks nodded. He jumped up and levitated clumsily. He found his balance and rose higher to be level with Vegeta.

"See? Nappa taught me," Trunks said happily.

The prince nodded. He held out his hands. "Attack me, boy." Trunks cocked his head to the side. He smiled and then began throwing punches at Vegeta. The prince noted Trunks' technique. The boy had definitely been trained by Nappa. As such, he had acquired most of Nappa's weaknesses in his stance. Frowning, Vegeta halted the boy's movements by placing a hand on one of the openings. Trunks appeared surprised by Vegeta's sudden movement. "You have left yourself to many attacks. While I am here, I will help you fix these."

Trunks lowered himself to the ground and nodded. "Okay."

Vegeta motioned for Trunks to go back with Gohan as Kakarrot came outside. The younger Saiyan waved as he approached. Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I haven't had a decent spar in years, Kakarrot. Tell me that you haven't been slacking off in my absence." Vegeta pulled his armor off and tossed it to the side.

"Slack off? If you haven't been challenged in all this time you should be quite rusty yourself." Kakarrot sank into his fighting stance. Vegeta followed suit. "Any time you're ready, Vegeta."

The prince stood still as stone for a moment. Then with a smirk he disappeared from Kakarrot's sight. Kakarrot barely had time to register that Vegeta was gone. On instinct alone did he manage to block the punch coming at him from the left. He did not have time to block the next one and staggered back. Vegeta was definitely faster than the last time they sparred. He wiped the blood from his mouth and attacked Vegeta. The spar began in earnest.


	24. The Glow

Vegeta found himself standing under the showerheads letting the hot water run over his sore muscles. His hair had been flattened and hung down his back. He cursed Kakarrot silently. They had sparred outside for an hour before Chichi forced them inside the gravity room citing their destruction of the landscape. Inside the chamber, they had cranked up the gravity almost to its maximum and gone at it without using ki. It was not until Bulma beat on the door to call them to dinner that they had bothered to leave.

After eating, Vegeta felt every last punch, kick, and hold delivered by Kakarrot. The younger Saiyan was in no better shape. Luckily, there were only a few dislocated limbs and cuts. Other than that, bruises adorned their bodies. Chichi and Bulma had been amazed at how minimal their injuries were. They would be healed by the morning. But the soreness was what kept them down.

The prince let his mind wander to what he would have to do when returning with Bulma. He had no desire to bring her back, but it was necessary. She had been missing for five whole years. Frieza would more than likely punish her. There was no telling what the overlord would do. Vegeta knew Frieza would not kill her, but there were things much worse than death on Frieza Planet 12.

 _Shit!_  Vegeta punched the wall of the walk-in shower. He pulled it significantly so as not to crack the tile. He did not want to be separated from Bulma or his kin again, but he had virtually no choice. He was so engrossed in his morbid thoughts that he did not hear the shower door open and close behind him.

Bulma stepped up behind Vegeta and slowly wrapped her arms around him. He did not move but his tail wrapped around her waist. She laid her head on his back between his shoulder blades. It was strange having him slightly taller than her. "You're thinking too hard, Vegeta. Relax," she said quietly.

"How can I relax, woman? I haven't relaxed in years," Vegeta growled in response. He felt her start to knead his shoulders. Just her being near drained away some of the tension. "You should not have to go back. I should be able to handle this on my own."

"I don't want to talk about that right now, Vegeta." She forcefully turned him around, ignoring how his tail tickled her waist as it slid around her. The telepath was momentarily distracted by his body; a body she had not laid eyes upon in a very long time. Quickly removing the dirty thoughts from her mind, she met his eyes. "We have a short time to enjoy ourselves before we go back to hell. I want to do that, Vegeta. I want to  _enjoy_  you. I don't want to think about Frieza. I don't want to think about the rebellion. I don't even want to think about what we're going to eat tomorrow morning. I just want to think about  _you_. I have gone five years without you and I only have seven nights to be with you. I am going to make the most of these seven nights. When we are alone, you will drop all thoughts of war and rebellion. You will pretend Frieza does not exist. You will be with me and me alone." Bulma slicked her wet hair back out of her face. She was frustrated and tears had started running down her face. Luckily, they were disguised by the water that had sprayed on her from the showerheads.

Vegeta had been trying to pay attention to her little speech, but it proved to be quite hard. Though he heard every word, it took a little longer to process what she was saying. Just as she had been momentarily distracted by him, he was also distracted by her. He raised an eyebrow and uncrossed his arms. "In what way do you want to  _enjoy_  me, woman?"

Bulma discreetly wiped the tears away by pretending to wipe the water from her eyes. "Don't play coy, Vegeta. You know exactly what I want from you." The words were barely out of her mouth before Vegeta had her against the wall, directly under the water. He lifted her and she instantly wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Their mouths met feverishly. It was the first kiss they had shared in five years and they were going to make it count. Vegeta leaned against her, pushing her back further against the cold tile. Bulma gasped at the feeling but only tightened her arms around Vegeta's neck. There was no foreplay. There was no teasing. There were no tender touches. There was just need and want.

Vegeta gave Bulma a single moment to breathe before thrusting into her without warning. She gasped and barely had enough presence of mind to keep from screaming lest everyone in the house hear them. Knowing that it had been a very long time for her, Vegeta gave Bulma the chance to get used to him. When she squeezed his waist with her legs, he knew she wanted more.

He began at a snail's pace. He just watched her face. For a moment, she looked like she was in pain. Her features slowly relaxed she opened her eyes to see him staring right back at her. Bulma ran her hands up into his limp hair and pushed his head forward into a heated kiss. She bit his lip, nearly drawing blood. This was only a major turn-on for the prince and sent him into a near frenzy.

His pace quickened. His hands squeezed her backside. Her legs tightened around his waist, trying desperately to pull him closer. Bulma's first orgasm in years crashed into her like she'd been thrown into a wall. Vegeta did not let her stop the kiss and she had no choice but to release her cries into his mouth. She raked her hands down his back, drawing blood. Vegeta growled at the sensation, wondering idly where she got the strength to break his skin. He gave her no time for rest. Instead, his pace picked up. Bulma finally broke the kiss and buried her head in the crook of his neck. She could feel her second climax building rapidly. She came just as hard as she did the first time. Instead of kissing Vegeta to stifle her scream, she bit down in the space between his neck and shoulder. That was enough to send Vegeta over the edge. With a grunt, he reached his own climax and spilled himself inside her.

Bulma pulled back to look into Vegeta's eyes. Vegeta took note of the blood on her lips and smirked. She seemed to realize what he was looking at and her face flushed in embarrassment. "I didn't mean... I don't know what came..."

"Clearly you did, woman," he said, still leering at her.

It took a moment for Bulma to get his vulgar joke. She playfully hit his shoulder. "You're so crude, Vegeta." She kissed him again, this time slowly. She traced the muscles on his back and felt the small scratches she'd given him. Knowing how quickly he healed, she knew they'd be gone by morning. Something soft brushed against her hands. Grinning in the kiss, she took hold of the flailing appendage and squeezed it gently.

Vegeta groaned at the sensation her touch gave him. He nuzzled her neck as she continued to pet his tail. She knew just the right amount of pressure to place on it. For a moment, they just stayed like that in silence.

Then Bulma pulled back and rested her head against the wall. He placed his forehead against hers. She remembered what he'd said when he first woke up after the restoration of his powers. "You said no one else has eyes like mine in the galaxy."

"On some level, I believe I was searching for you without even knowing it. I vaguely remember seeking out blue-eyed women." Vegeta could feel her tense at the mention of other women and shook his head. "I remembered you even without your scent. What I said was true. No one else has eyes that glow like yours do."

Bulma put the thought of Vegeta with other women behind her and focused on his words. It was probably the sweetest thing he'd ever said to her. She pulled him closer and just held him to her. She let out a long sigh. "It was painful, Vegeta. I missed you so much that I felt pain."

Vegeta held onto her silently. Then she began moving against him again. Growling, his tail wrapped around her right thigh and she leaned up to kiss him. "Can you handle me again, woman?"

"I can handle whatever you've got to give, my prince," she whispered against his lips. Bulma knew nothing riled him up more than when she used his title. "Show me how much you've missed me."

"As long as you don't cry on me anymore," he whispered against her lips. She managed to get out a small chuckle.

* * *

Trunks rubbed his eyes as he walked down the dark hall. Okura trailed behind him, holding on to his tail. She had woken her brother up after a scary dream. Usually, they both slept with their mother after that. Trunks focused on sensing Bulma's ki. Strangely, she was not in her room. Instead, he felt her ki in the bathroom. He looked behind him and nodded to Okura. The two headed for the bathroom.

* * *

Vegeta sat on his knees on the floor of the shower. Bulma was on top of him, holding him to her chest. She ran her hands through his lax hair while he gently stroked her back. He could hear her heartbeat starting to slow. He had to remember that she was not Saiyan and he could probably send her into cardiac arrest.

"Arrogant bastard," Bulma mumbled, reading his mind.

"Immoral woman," he murmured back. He was about to say something else when two ki signatures registered just outside the door. Using his speed, Vegeta got to his feet, got out of the shower, dried them with a burst of ki, and somehow managed to wrap both him and Bulma in separate towels just as the door opened to reveal the twins.

Bulma was a little dizzy and was a second away from yelling obscenities at Vegeta but instead she noticed the twins. "Trunks? Okura? What's wrong? Why are you two still up?"

"Okura had a bad dream," Trunks said through a yawn. He felt his tail being released. Okura slowly walked past him.

Bulma watched her daughter and then looked over at Vegeta. He was frowning down at the little girl as she attached herself to his leg. Bulma stifled her laughter at his bewildered expression. It was no surprise that she'd taken to Vegeta so quickly. Bulma faced Trunks again. "You want to sleep with us?" she asked. Trunks shrugged sleepily. Bulma could see that he was seconds away from falling asleep on his feet. She swept him up in her arms and stood. "Let's take them to bed."

Vegeta looked horrified. "Woman, I am not sleeping with the brats..." Bulma loudly shushed him. "I am not sleeping with the brats in the bed with us, woman." His voice was significantly quieter. Bulma rolled her eyes and left the bathroom. Vegeta sighed and saw that Okura was staring up at him. Unable to resist a pair of big blue eyes, Vegeta awkwardly picked her up. "What was your dream about, brat?"

Okura snuggled against him. "A pink thing. It was big and round with pointy sticks on it. It was hurting Mama," she said quietly.

The prince's eyes widened. Okura's description was vague, but it sounded as if she had dreamt of Dodoria. He wondered if she had the same abilities as Bulma. The only trait she'd received from him was her physical strength. He noticed her breathing pattern change and knew Okura had fallen asleep. Sighing, he headed to the room he was now sharing with Bulma.

Bulma had already put Trunks to bed and slipped on a shirt and shorts to sleep in. She watched Vegeta handle Okura delicately and laid her down next to her brother. "Did she tell you what her dream was about?"

"Hn." Vegeta went looking for something he could sleep in. Luckily, all of their clothes were unisex and one size, so he just pulled on a pair of shorts. "She dreamt of Dodoria and you."

"Me and Dodoria?" Bulma looked at Okura. Trunks' tail had wrapped itself protectively around his sister. "Do you think she has precognitive abilities too? I know she inherited most of my abilities, but she never showed anything like precognition."

Vegeta pushed Bulma gently towards the bed. "I believe it was you who said not to think of anything but each other. We'll sort that out later. Right now, we will sleep." He walked over to the far side of the bed and lay down next to Trunks. Bulma smiled and lay down next to Okura. The little family fell asleep together, just like that.

* * *

"I've gotten word that the base on Birtens is next on Frieza's list. I gave the evacuation order. Those stationed there will scatter to surrounding bases," Yamcha said.

Juu nodded. She was staring at a holographic map of the galaxy. She pulled up the area where Birtens was. Her brother was stationed at one of the bases in the area. It happened to be the closest base to Namek, though the planet was still a good distance away. "Is there anything of importance at the Birtens base?"

Yamcha flipped through a few notes. "Not that I'm aware of. Nothing important is documented. Birtens was mostly for storage. The evacuees will be toting cargo such as weapons, but nothing of extreme importance. Why?"

"Just keeping track of where everything is going. We will soon have to start integrating on Frieza's planets in order to remain hidden. In a few weeks, we will know more about what Frieza's plans are when Vegeta returns to Planet Twelve."

Yamcha appeared confused. "Why is he going back to Frieza? We just got him out of there."

Juu turned the holographic map off. "Frieza wants the Dragon Balls. He'll eventually go to Namek himself. Vegeta is trying to stall that event as long as possible so that we can figure out what to do about them. The Nameks surely won't leave their planet no matter we say. He intends to stall by taking Bulma back in exchange," she said. Like everyone else, she did not like the idea of Bulma going back in the least. However, she recognized that it needed to be done and that there was nothing else in the entire galaxy that would keep Frieza busy.

"That is insane. Who is coming up with these ideas?"

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, focus on the evacuation of Birtens."

* * *

Trunks was an extremely fast learner. Vegeta had taught him several kata over the course of the seven days. He'd basically taught Trunks to fight all over again. However, the child had retained some of Nappa's mannerisms because they were already ingrained in the boy. So Trunks' fighting style had become some sort of strange amalgam of Vegeta and Nappa's styles.

"You're not using your brain, boy! Put your foot down! Take charge!" Vegeta yelled as he watched Trunks spar with Gohan. Once again, the older boy kept Trunks on the defensive. Vegeta was aware that Gohan was older and more experiences, but Trunks did have his size on his side. There had been a number of times where he had smoothly evaded Gohan.

 _Put my foot down? Like this?_  Trunks blocked Gohan's punch and stepped forward forcefully. The released ki knocked Gohan off his feet.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Nappa?"

"Yeah?" The taller Saiyan stepped up behind the prince.

"Does the boy know ki manipulation yet?"

"No, sir. He only knows how to use it to fly."

Vegeta nodded as Gohan picked himself up off the ground. "Come here, boy!"

Trunks looked from Gohan to his father. He trotted over to Vegeta and looked up at him. "Yeah, Papa?"

The prince cringed at the name. He'd tried getting Trunks to address him as  _Father_ , but the boy and his twin had other ideas. Vegeta kneeled down and held out his right hand. A small white ball of ki appeared. Trunks smiled when he saw it. "Can you do this?" he asked.

"Nappa said he was gonna teach me soon. He said I had to learn control."

The ball of ki disappeared and Trunks' face fell. He looked back at Vegeta's dark eyes. The prince still held his hand out. "Do as I do, boy." Vegeta watched Trunks copy his position. "Just as you push your ki under you to fly, push your ki out of your palm."

"Like this?" Trunks frowned and tried to channel his ki to his hand. A short burst came from his hand but nothing happened. He frowned when he saw that Vegeta had done the same thing only there was a tiny ball of ki in his hand. "How do you do that?"

"Do what I said again. Don't stop." Vegeta waited as Trunks channeled his ki again. "When you push it out, try to keep it in your hand. Try to form it into a shape. Any shape."

Trunks twisted his face in concentration. Soon, a small light appeared in his hand. It grew larger and larger until it was about the size of his head. A big smile bloomed on Trunks’ face. In his excitement, the ball grew bigger. Vegeta noticed the boy's lack of control and dissipated the ki. Trunks blinked a few times, wondering where his ki went.

"You need to learn control, boy. That ki ball had enough power to destroy this area. You are very powerful for your age; more powerful than you realize," he admonished. Trunks nodded and Vegeta stood up.

Bulma came outside of the cave. "Hey guys! It's time for dinner!" she yelled. The words were barely out of her mouth before the Saiyans nearly ran her over in order to get to the cave. Used to their stampedes, Bulma simply sidestepped. She noticed that Vegeta was still outside. He appeared to be talking to Trunks. Their young son was listening aptly and nodding. He held out his hand. A small ki ball appeared. It grew larger and then smaller. He repeated the action again and then the ball disappeared. Smiling, Bulma walked over to them. "Dinner is ready, guys."

"Okay, Mama!" Trunks ran past her without even saying goodbye.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and then looked at Bulma. "You distracted him, woman. Do you know how hard it is to keep that boy's attention for any length of time?" He crossed his arms. "At least he got the hang of it."

"Well, his attention would've gotten worse if he didn't go eat. A hungry Trunks is not an attentive Trunks." Bulma sighed as Vegeta grumbled under his breath about  _coddling brats_. "He is still a child, Vegeta."

Vegeta scoffed indignantly. "He's a Saiyan child. When I was his age I had already purged a planet by myself."

Bulma shuddered. "Trunks will not be purging any planets any time soon, Vegeta." She turned his head to face hers. "Your eyes are back to normal. Frieza will know something is different if your eyes remain that way."

"You're right. That is why I planned on making a stop on our way to Planet Twelve."

They were supposed to leave once the twins went to bed. It was the only way they could make a clean getaway. Bulma had told the twins that they would be leaving for a little while, but she did not think the really understood. "How do you think they'll take it once we're gone?" she asked.

Vegeta shrugged. "They'll just have to accept it. No one can know about their existence. Tarble says he even kept it secret from the blonde woman for a while. If Frieza finds out they exist he'll..." He trailed off and looked off into the horizon. He knew exactly what Frieza would try to do with Trunks and Okura. The twins were still young and curious. They were very trusting. They had no reason to believe that there were people who would do anything to harm them. Their minds were still impressionable. Frieza could pick up where he failed with Vegeta and Bulma. He could make Trunks and Okura into anything he wanted. "Eventually they will have to leave this planet but for now they stay."

"I know. Come inside and eat, Vegeta." Bulma turned and started walking back inside.

* * *

"Still no word?" Frieza asked as he heard the door to the room open.

Behind him, Zarbon cleared his throat. Frieza's fuse had been erratic lately. There was not telling how long the overlord would remain in a decent mood. Several  _messengers_  had been killed when Frieza heard something that displeased him. "We have established contact with Vegeta. He says there was trouble on Namek. Cui and the others were killed. Vegeta also said the Dragon Balls do exist and the Nameks are very protective of them. Vegeta did not get them because he believes there is more to their legend than we think."

"Is that all? He isn't even coming back with one of those damnable relics?"

"No, sir..."

Frieza's ki spiked and he turned to face Zarbon. "Then what the hell did I send that godforsaken monkey up there for? Then he lets Cui get killed! His ass is mine when he..."

"Vegeta did say he had something that might appease you; something he found on the planet. The Nameks did hand it over. He did not tell me what it is, but it was large enough to require the use of one of the vacated pods." Zarbon spoke quickly, not wanting to anger Frieza further.

The overlord's demeanor shifted drastically at those words. He cleared his throat and turned away from Zarbon. "Then perhaps all is not lost. How far away is Vegeta?"

"When I received the message, he had stopped at a trade planet near the border. He should be here within fifteen days, my lord." Zarbon watched Frieza's tail sway lazily back and forth. "Is there anything else you need, my lord?"

"No, Zarbon. You are free to go." Frieza heard Zarbon mumble his farewell and waited until he heard the door shut behind him. The small tyrant stared out the window at the sky. It was dark and he could see the stars clearly from his vantage point. He knew that no matter how much control he had over him, Vegeta was still a loose cannon. The Saiyan prince would do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Frieza would not put it past Vegeta to kill Cui and the other scouts himself. "You had better not be playing me for a fool, Vegeta," Frieza murmured quietly.

* * *

_"It's only for a little while. Me and Papa will be back before you know it," Bulma said. The twins were looking at her suspiciously. Vegeta stood behind her, watching the display with something akin to disdain. He hated watching Bulma coddle the children._

_"But why can't we come with you, Mama?" Trunks asked._

_Vegeta rolled his eyes. He stepped in front of Bulma and towered over Trunks. His son stared up at him, a little wary of him. "Your mother and I have business to tend to, boy. That's all you need to know right now. While we are gone, you are to continue your training as I have showed you. You will protect your sister as well. Do I make myself clear?" His voice was firm and stern. Trunks nodded slowly._

_Okura stepped around her brother. "Will you protect Mama then?"_

_"I have already sworn that. Now you two must look after each other."_

_"And you promise to come back?" Trunks asked._

_There was a rather pregnant pause before Bulma smiled nervously at the twins. "We won't lie to you, little one. We cannot make a promise like that. But we can promise that as long as it is we are still breathing, we will do everything within our power to make it back to you."_

* * *

Vegeta opened his eyes as the memory faded. He blinked several times as his eyes got used to the new black contact lenses. After he was sure they were in properly, he pressed the button to open his pod. He stepped out as soon as it was completely open. He turned to his right and saw Bulma's pod was still closed. He walked over to it. He used a remote to open it. Stepping in front of it, he looked down and saw Bulma still sitting there.

"Get up, woman," he said sternly.

Bulma flinched at Vegeta's harsh tone. She had to tell herself it was an act. Still, she did not want to get out. She started to move when Vegeta's hand suddenly closed around her arm. She gave a little yelp as he yanked her out of the pod. He released her just as she was out of it and Bulma struggled to stay on her feet. Once she was balanced, Bulma glared at him. He took hold of her again and made her walk.

 _You don't have to throw me around like that, Vegeta_.

 _I'm not going to pamper you or show you any kindness, woman. I have a part to play just as you do. Just remember to keep this link open_ , he said back to her. He spoke about the mental connection they had forcibly created due to Bulma's inability to sense Vegeta. It had taken most of their trip back to practice, but it had been worth it.

They walked in silence all the way to Frieza's conference room. When the doors slid open, everyone inside stopped what they were doing. Frieza and Zarbon were shocked to see him there. They had not been informed that he had returned so soon.

"This is a surprise, Vegeta. We expected you at least five..." Frieza stopped talking as Vegeta walked forward. He swung Bulma around him and she landed on the floor. The lavender-haired woman turned her glare back towards him but he ignored her.

"Cui met his  _fortunate_  end at the hands of the Nameks. If he hadn't, I would've killed him myself for being so weak. They saved me the trouble of soiling my gloves. However, I thought this one was worth more than his life," Vegeta said bluntly. "I've seen her face a few times on the 'Most Wanted' list."

Bulma heard clapping. She turned her head to see Frieza clapping slowly. He actually got out of his chair and began approaching her. She scrambled to her feet, not wanting to look up at him. In the five years that she had been gone, not one thing had changed about him. She found herself wondering if Frieza even really aged. Was he immortal? Then her eyes widened.

 _Immortality... That's what the Dragon Balls could've granted him. He already believes he is the most powerful being in the universe. Why would he wish for more power? A being like Frieza would always want to live_ , she thought. She was about to send Vegeta a message through their connection when Frieza's tail latched around her neck.

"You did not disappoint, Vegeta. I have missed you so much, Bulma. Five years without your presence has been far too long. Did you miss me as much as I've missed you?"

Bulma shook her head as best she could. "Not even a second was wasted thinking about you, Frieza." She tried to hide the wince has Frieza's tail tightened around her neck. He forcefully pulled her forward. Bulma watched him look her over. She felt dirty as his eyes lingered too long over certain parts of her body.

Frieza smiled. "You've grown into your body magnificently, Bulma. If it weren't for your special talents, I might have kept you for myself." He released her roughly, sending her back down to the ground. Before she could recover, his tail slapped her across her face. As her body started to fly to the side, his tail wrapped itself around her neck again. Frieza brought her closer. He took a bony finger and dragged his sharp nail down her chest from her collarbone to her midsection. The fabric of her bodysuit tore but he did not cut her skin. He eyed her skin lasciviously and used one hand to move the torn fabric to the side, baring only a sliver of her breasts. "Oh yes. I would definitely have kept you for myself. The thought is so very tempting. But I will control myself for the time being." He released her roughly, sending her rolling backward.

Vegeta was standing with his arms crossed. He was squeezing his fists together so tightly that his nails were starting to rip the fabric of his gloves. However, his face remained the very picture of indifference. Bulma's face was now facing him as she lay on the floor, trying to recover. There was an angry welt rising on her face where Frieza had slapped her. Her blood was dribbling from her mouth. She had bitten down on her tongue. Vegeta was barely restraining himself from attacking Frieza.

Feeling his rage, Bulma's eyes snapped open. The glare she gave Vegeta was so fierce that for a small moment he was afraid of her.  _Don't you dare_ , she sent to him. Seeing him relax a bit, she pushed herself up to her knees. Landing on the floor so hard hurt more than being slapped. She stood back up and wiped the blood from her mouth.

Frieza levitated back into his chair. He saw Bulma was standing and trying to hold the top of her bodysuit closed. His eyes shifted to Vegeta. "I thank you for bringing my favorite back to me, Vegeta. Take her to the Vault. Dodoria will be along shortly."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. Both he and Bulma figured that there would be punishment involved; a whipping or beating of some sort. Frieza had never harmed Bulma more than that. Something like that could have been done in the very room they stood in. The Vault was used only for the harshest of punishments. It was nothing short of a torture chamber. The things done down there were legendary for all the wrong reasons.

Without care, Vegeta grabbed Bulma's arm. He dragged her backwards until she turned around to walk properly. Once they were outside of the room, Vegeta could sense her fear.  _Are you absolutely sure you want to do this, woman?_

Bulma mentally smirked.  _You know there's nothing we can do right now. I'm just going to have to endure this. Frieza won't kill me. You know that_.

 _He may not kill you but rest assured you will be wishing for death by the time Dodoria gets done with you_.

 _I have heard of what he does to his victims. I am not afraid_.

_You're lying, woman. You reek of fear and have you forgotten that I can feel what you feel through this rapport?_

Bulma had not forgotten. She attempted to smile as they entered an elevator.  _I'll be strong, Vegeta. There's nothing Frieza or Dodoria can do that will break me_.

They lapsed into silence as the elevator went further and further into the bowels of the fortress. The Vault was the very last floor and deep underground. The two could only guess it was so far underground so that no one could hear the screams. When the elevator door opened, a blast of heat hit them. It was almost unbearably hot and humid. The place was damp and dark. Only small, dim lights lit the area. While Bulma could only hear the audible moaning, Vegeta's sensitive hearing picked up on the ragged breaths and the sound of something dripping. There was no screaming, which only meant the no one was currently being tortured. He gently tugged on Bulma's arm to get her walking. It was the most gentle he had been with her since they arrived.

Bulma stayed closer to Vegeta than she should have. She did herself no favors by looking into the different cells that lined the hall. The prisoners had twisted limbs and open wounds. She could see that some had been whipped so raw that their bones were showing. Most of them sat in pools of their own blood. She was sure one or two were dead. What confused her for a moment was that there did not seem to be anything blocking the prisoners from leaving their cells. There were no doors and there did not appear to be any type of glass in front of them.

 _Invisible barriers. If they are touched while engaged, death would be almost instant. It is to give the illusion of freedom. More than one person has chosen suicide over surviving for more torture_ , Vegeta answered her inquiry before she could ask. She nodded slowly and saw that some of the prisoners had taken their lives by the way they lay so closely to the barriers.

They came to an empty cell and Vegeta released her. He gestured for her to enter. Bulma walked forward. The cell was small. There was only wide enough for her to stretch out horizontally but if she were to lay vertically her feet would be out past the barrier. She walked all the way to the back and turned to face Vegeta.

The two stared at one another for the longest. Bulma's breathing had picked up. Vegeta could sense that she was on the verge of a panic attack. He stepped inside the cell and backed her into the wall.

"Vegeta, they will see..."

"There are no cameras down here, woman. If Frieza wants to see anything he will come down himself. He doesn't like watching torture unless he's doing it himself." Vegeta looked into her eyes. Even in the dim light they were glowing. He silently hoped that when she finally did leave this place that their vibrant luster would remain. It was probably asking a lot, but he hoped she would indeed remain strong. "Never let them hear you scream, woman. Remember to control your power. Frieza can still not know about the true extent of it," he said firmly.

Bulma nodded quickly. She was trying not to show her fear but the more she thought about what was to happen the more she started to shake. However, she was not going to back out of their plan now. She was the one who had suggested it and she was going to see it through no matter what.

The prince turned to leave. He hesitated before he stepped out of the cell. Vegeta turned around and pulled Bulma into a kiss. She reciprocated instantly. It was almost too much. They had just gotten each other back and now they were being separated again. Vegeta pulled back. "You will not close the connection."

"If I don't you'll see everything, Vegeta," Bulma said a little breathlessly. "I can't put that burden on you."

"I want the burden. I want to see it. You do not have to suffer alone."

She nodded slowly. Vegeta nodded back and then quickly turned away. This time he left the cell. As he did, he turned on the barrier. Bulma saw a small flash and she knew it had been activated. She sank down to sit against the back wall with her knees drawn up to her chest. She listened as Vegeta's footsteps became quieter and quieter. Sighing, she closed her eyes and began mentally preparing herself for what was about to come.

* * *

Vegeta went straight to his quarters. The moment the door slid shut he ripped off his armor and threw it against the wall. He felt like killing something, anything. Instead, he sat down on his bed and put his elbows on his knees. He ran his hands through his hair and gripped the thick strands. His mind replayed the image of Frieza beating and groping her. The groping hit him harder than the beating did. If there was anything he did not want to happen it was to have that slimy lizard violate her.

 _She's been through that already. If it happens again, I don't care what she says. I'm annihilating every being on this fucking planet_ , he thought angrily. He noticed he was unconsciously powering up. The pent up anger was starting to overwhelm him. He needed some sort of release. He stood and headed for the door of his chambers.

The prince was going to train. He thought for a moment about retrieving his armor but quickly squashed it. He would train without it. Besides Frieza, no one on the planet could hurt him. He needed to work off the excess energy and anger he was feeling. If someone died in the process, that was all the better.

* * *

Bulma had been sleeping lightly when the noisy elevator opened, jarring her awake. Heavy footsteps followed. Her breathing picked up and she tried to control it. She was already sweating because of the extreme heat. She told herself not to show fear; to be strong. It was just Dodoria. The last person she was afraid of was an overweight pink blob.

Dodoria appeared much later than Bulma would have thought. He stood outside of the barrier and grinned at her. He pressed the button that deactivated the barrier. Bulma wondered for a moment if he could even fit in the cell. She got her answer when he turned sideways and walked inside. Before she could do anything, he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet.

"I've actually missed you, little girl. Frieza is finally letting me have my way with you." Dodoria looked her over in much the same way that Frieza had. Licking his scaly purple lips, he pulled her closer to him. "We're going to have lots of fun." His opposite hand grabbed her wrist and dragged her from the cell.

Bulma wanted to beat on him to be released, but she knew it would be futile. He would only strike her and she wanted to go through as little pain as possible. Her face was already sore from being smacked by Frieza's tail. She walked slowly behind Dodoria. He took her to the large metal door at the end of the hall. After pressing in a few numbers on a keypad (Bulma made sure to watch), the door unlocked. Dodoria had to pull it open and Bulma could tell it was heavy. He practically tossed her inside. She stumbled for a moment but managed to keep standing. Then she looked around.

The first thing that struck her as strange was the rejuvenation tank in the farthest corner of the room. She assumed that it was used to heal the victims enough only for them to be tortured more. The next thing she noticed were the chains and hooks. There was a table with straps in the center of the room. The wall to her left had a myriad of instruments attached to it. In the back of the room was what looked like a trapdoor. Beside that was a metal coffin. Then there was another coffin-like box leaning against the wall. There was some sort of pointy chair sitting just behind her to her right. Next to that was another chair with spikes on the armrests, legs, and the back. The only safe place was the seat of the chair. Bulma could see dried blood that ran down the sides of the chair. The worst thoughts started to run through Bulma's mind until she heard the door slam shut behind her. She whirled around to see Dodoria smiling.

"Strip," he said plainly. He walked around her and began unbuckling the straps on the spiky chair.

"Excuse me?" Bulma said after a moment.

Dodoria looked up at her. "This is the only act of charity you will receive. I doubt you want me to come over there. I will  _not_  be gentle." He wiggled his fat fingers.

Bulma turned away from Dodoria. She took off her boots. Her feet touched the grimy floor and she closed her eyes. Then she started peeling the torn bodysuit off. She shivered once she was fully undressed even though it was like a sauna in the room. She was left with only her underwear and her breasts bared. She thanked whatever god there was that she had not chosen to go completely bare beneath her bodysuit. She could hear Dodoria moving up behind her. Just as she turned her head, his chubby hand closed around her tiny neck, covering it completely. He pulled her close and inhaled. Unlike when Vegeta scented her, it made her feel like she needed to scrub herself clean in scalding water.

"It will be a shame to mar this body. You are truly the thing men dream about," he said.

"Is that a compliment?" Her voice was softer than she would have liked it to be, but Dodoria's grip was crushing her throat.

"Yes. I think it is." Without warning, he dragged her backwards by her neck. "Where should I start? Such taut skin. I want to peel it off and feel it between my fingers, but it is so perfect." Dodoria deposited her in the seat with the spikes.

Bulma bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming as her back hit the spikes. She chanted in her mind what Vegeta hold her. After mentally chanting ten times, she opened her eyes to see Dodoria strapping her arms and legs down. She held her back off of the spikes, but she could already feel blood running down her back.

Dodoria finished strapping Bulma on the chair and looked at her face. Discomfort and pain was written all over her features. "Frieza has forbidden me from doing anything to permanently blemish that beautiful skin. However, I can still have plenty of fun with you." He turned away from her and went to the wall directly across from her. He picked up what looked like a clamp of some sort and a pair of pliers. "Nowadays people like to use all those fancy instruments. There's little to no real effort put into torture anymore. Just press a button and your victim is in pain. Where's the pleasure in that?"

Bulma frowned as she watched Dodoria approach her again. He sat the pliers down on a small table beside the chair. They looked like they had never been cleaned before. She had barely turned her head back to face Dodoria when he took hold of her face. His grip forced her mouth to open. Before she could close it, Dodoria placed the clamp in her mouth. He strapped it around her face, making sure it was tight enough to hold her mouth open. Bulma forced herself to stay still in the chair.

"There's an art to torture, little girl. That fancy equipment doesn't let you see the fruits of your labor. It doesn't let you feel the warmth of blood running down your fingers. It doesn't show you the true pain." Dodoria picked up the pliers. With his left hand he held Bulma's head still. "Now, I've been told that your kind can grow an infinite amount of teeth. No matter how many times they come out, they will always grow back. Such an ability seems strange considering the rest of your body is so pathetically weak. Teeth aren't exactly a necessity. That's where I'd like to start. I'd say all six lower molars is a good place to start." He stuck the pliers in her mouth and took hold of her first right mandibular molar. With one quick jerk, he yanked Bulma's tooth right out.

She squeezed her eyes shut and arched her back to keep from stabbing herself, but she did not scream. Without waiting for the pain to subside even a little, Dodoria grabbed the second molar and yanked it out. Bulma started to taste the blood on her tongue. She felt it running out of her mouth and onto her chin. Dodoria took out the third molar and she accidentally pushed her calves against the spikes on the leg of the chair. She exhaled when Dodoria released her hair. He held the molar up to look at it.

"You have beautiful teeth, little girl. Such teeth are hard to come by in this galaxy." He saw the blood dribbling out of her mouth and dripping off of her chin. He wiped some of the blood up with her finger and examined it before tasting it. "This is art. Your blood is like a sweet nectar. I did say I would take six molars, didn't I?" He took hold of Bulma's head again. He repeated the process.

This time, tears ran down Bulma's face along with the blood. She made not a sound outside of her deep breathing, though. Dodoria roughly removed the clamp and allowed her to close her mouth. Her jaw was aching and she felt slightly lightheaded. She tried to spit the blood out but Dodoria grabbed her by her jaw, making sure to squeeze. Bulma gasped at the pain but held in her scream. He stuck his finger in her mouth, rubbing some sort of blue substance on the holes where her teeth used to be. The substance stung and Bulma fought to get away but Dodoria held tight. She barely noticed that she had stopped bleeding.

"You're tough. I usually get screams even by the first molar. No matter. We're only just beginning, little girl." Dodoria released her face and began unstrapping her.

For a moment, Bulma contemplated bolting. She was too lightheaded, though. She barely noticed Dodoria picking her up. He laid her on the table and applied the blue gel over the puncture wounds on her legs and back. Bulma held her breath until the stinging passed. She heard something jingling and moved her head. Dodoria was lowering some chains from the ceiling. Bulma closed her eyes. How long had she been in the room? Ten? Twenty minutes tops? She stopped thinking when Dodoria took her by the arm and pulled her off the table. Bulma dropped like a dead weight but he pulled her to her feet.

Dodoria held Bulma's arms behind her back. "I'll be using good old-fashioned rope to bind your hands. Your wrists are too puny for my shackles. You'd slip right out of them and we can't have that." He roughly tied Bulma's hands together. He then tied Bulma's feet together as well. He took a hooked chain and wrapped it around Bulma's tied hands. Securing the hook, he stepped away from her.

Bulma was still dizzy from the blood loss when she heard the sound of metal moving. She noticed her arms rising and looked around. She tried to pull them forward but they were tied behind her back. Her eyes widened and she looked over at Dodoria. He was manually cranking the chain. Bulma closed her eyes when she felt the strain her body weight put on her arms as her feet left the floor. She tried to lean forward to alleviate some of the pain. It worked for a moment. Then something heavy dropped on her feet. Her eyes snapped open.

The pink blob had hooked a weight onto the rope holding her feet together. The extra weight pulled her down. With a sickening  _crack_ , her left arm dislocated itself from her shoulder. Frowning, Dodoria saw that only one arm had been affected by the extra weight. Also, Bulma did not scream. Shrugging, he added another weight. This time Bulma's other arm followed suit along with the spraining of her right ankle. Still, she did not scream. Instead, she nearly bit her lip off.

* * *

Vegeta watched as his sparring partner dropped to the ground. The unlucky alien had been felled by two punches. The second punch had literally knocked his head clean off. It now sat against the wall. The prince kicked the soldier's body to the wall. He looked around for his next partner. Being one of Frieza's favorites had its perks. One of them was to command people to spar with him. Frieza cared not if they died.

The prince rolled his shoulders forward. There was a slight ache in them. He knew it had to be from Bulma. Dodoria had started with her. Vegeta wished there was a way he could siphon off some of her pain, but he knew it was impossible. Bulma's thoughts were a mess. She was nearly delirious.

_Keep it together, woman. You can't lose your mind._

* * *

Blue eyes opened as she heard Vegeta's message. Dodoria was mumbling something about how he would pull that elusive scream from Bulma. She tuned him back in just as he was finishing his mini tirade. "Perhaps your  _art_  is not as effective as you think," she said through bloody lips.

Dodoria's smile disappeared. He opened his mouth to make a retort but a scouter across the room started beeping. He walked over to it and shut off the sound. "You're lucky that it's time for my dinner, little girl." He started turning the crank to let Bulma down. As her legs touched the floor she grew weak and crumpled to the floor. Dodoria sat her up. "I can't very well leave you like this, can I? Your trip to the tank will have to wait, though." That was all the warning he gave before popping both her arms back into place. Her right foot was still a mess.

Bulma felt as though she was going to pass out from the agony. She struggled to stay upright and kept her eyes on her fat tormentor. Dodoria opened the metal coffin-like box. He dragged Bulma across the floor by her still-tied sore arms. He lifted her and. literally dropped her in the box. Wincing, she barely had time to move before the top came down. She heard him locking the box. Her natural response was to wriggle around. She was still bound by her hands and feet.

Dodoria chuckled darkly. "You'll survive, little girl. There's a hole big enough to let you breathe. I must tell you that it will get mighty hot in there, though." He walked to the door of the room and swung it open. "Good night!"

Bulma saw the light go out in the room as soon as the door closed. She heard the locking mechanism engage. She was alone. She was alone in a metal box that had barely enough room for her to stretch her legs out. She turned on her side. It was becoming hotter and hotter in the box. She had to survive the entire night. She could do it.

 _I will not die. I cannot die. This is nothing. I can survive this. I will survive this_.

* * *

Vegeta's fifth sparring  _victim_  fell to the metal floor. There was a fist-sized hole in his chest. The prince had felt every ounce of pain Bulma had been dealt. At times, he could even see what she saw through blurry, tear-filled eyes. Her mind seemed at rest now and Vegeta decided that he needed to rest as well.

 _Don't worry about me. I'll be fine_.

Vegeta sighed as he left the training area.  _I know you will_.


	25. Looking Back

_"You two. Let's go." Vegeta stood up and left the dining room. Kinomi and Tarble exchanged confused glances. They assumed he was talking to them. They finished shoveling food into their mouths and followed their elder brother outside the house._

_Raditz raised an eyebrow as he watched the royal siblings leave. "What do you think they're up to?" he asked with his mouth still full._

_"Maybe he wants to spar with them," Turles answered with a shrug. The words settled for a moment before everyone looked up from their food. Stuffing a few bites into their mouths, the remaining men rose from the table and left as well, leaving Chichi and Bulma with the children._

_Chichi shook her head. "Well I guess we'll get started cleaning."_

_Outside, Tarble and Kinomi stood together a few feet from their brother. Tarble nudged Kinomi. "What do you think we should do? Is he going to fight both of us at once?" he asked quietly._

_"That would be fine. The only ki you're allowed to use is ki for flying," Vegeta said. He smirked at the face Tarble made. "You act like my hearing isn't as good as yours."_

_"Fine, Geta. Just give us a moment to plan our attack." Kinomi started stretching. "But I warn you. Tarble's really fast."_

_The others came outside to see that the spar had yet to start. Tarble was watching Vegeta as Kinomi stretched beside him. Raditz caught her eye as she was bent over. She smirked and winked at him. Rolling his eyes, he followed his brothers and Nappa to a cluster of rocks to watch the proceedings._

_"Ready?" Tarble asked._

_"Hn." Still in her awkward stretching position, Kinomi phased away from Tarble._

_Vegeta jumped into the air, deftly dodging his sister's kick. He'd expected her to attack first and unexpectedly, but that made it expected. What Vegeta had not planned on was Tarble's attack. He had not even seen his younger brother move. Before the elder prince could block Tarble kicked him from behind. He fell forward but as he was catching himself, Kinomi came from above and brought her hands down on his back. Vegeta went flying to the ground._

_The twins tagged each other and headed for the cloud of dust where Vegeta landed. Something zoomed past them. They both stopped and turned. Tarble grabbed Kinomi's arm and swung her behind him. Vegeta became visible when his punch missed his sister. He turned his head to see Tarble swinging Kinomi in his direction. Throwing up his left arm to block her foot, he then took hold of her extended leg and wrenched her from Tarble's grasp. He tossed Kinomi down to the ground, grabbed Tarble by his head, and brought his knee to the younger prince's face._

_The elder prince crossed his arms. He was impressed at the teamwork the twins exhibited. Had he been a weaker opponent he would have been overtaken quite easily._ Tarble is faster; much faster. His strikes aren't particularly strong, though. Kinomi... is definitely physically stronger _, Vegeta mused. Just as he lowered himself back to the ground, the twins attacked him from both sides. This was going to be a fun day._

* * *

Vegeta opened his eyes. Frowning, he pulled himself up from his bed. Leaning forward, he put a hand to his head and checked on Bulma. Her mind was still relaxed.  _She must not be awake yet_ , he thought. Getting to his feet, he decided to get dressed and head to find something to eat.

The mess hall was relatively deserted considering all the people that resided in the fortress. Vegeta walked to one of the meal dispensaries and swiped his credits card. He put in his order and three capsules were dispensed into his hand. He took the three capsules and walked over to a round table. Vegeta opened all three capsules on the table and three meals appeared before him. He got started on the one directly in front of him.

Zarbon walked into the mess hall. He was surprised to see Vegeta there so early. He knew Vegeta was a creature of habit and rarely did he deviate from his schedule. Anything outside of that was highly out of character for him. Narrowing his eyes, Zarbon retrieved his own food capsule and made his way to Vegeta's table. The prince did not flinch as he sat down and opened the capsule.

"Lord Frieza is very pleased with you, even if you did not bring back what he asked," Zarbon said right as he began eating. There was no change in Vegeta. "That blue-haired wench is very important to him."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He stopped eating momentarily as he pushed the first plate away and pulled the second to him. "I fail to see why Frieza would waste his time on such a pathetically weak creature," he said blandly. "What purpose does she serve to Frieza?" He discreetly watched Zarbon squeeze his fork. As far as the other man knew, Vegeta had not regained his memories and had no idea who Bulma was. Vegeta just wanted to see where this conversation would lead.

"Her physical strength is not what she's needed for. Her mind is what Frieza considers precious." Zarbon heard Vegeta snort. "What?"

"Frieza wants to use her for her brain and he sends her to Dodoria to be tortured? That seems awfully counterproductive." Vegeta started on his third meal.

That had never crossed Zarbon's mind. "Lord Frieza would not have her tortured beyond repair. Dodoria knows her limits."

The prince grunted as he hurriedly finished his meal. He sneered when he saw how little Zarbon ate. An idea came to mind. "Spar with me," he said simply.

Zarbon nearly choked on his food. He looked up at Vegeta in surprise. It was one thing for the two to actually converse without insults eventually being tossed about. It was another for Vegeta to ask to spar with him.  _Well, he didn't exactly ask_ , Zarbon thought as he narrowed his eyes.  _What is he playing at?_

"What's the matter? Surely you aren't  _afraid_." Vegeta smirked as he stood.

The green-haired man inwardly sighed at Vegeta's slight. "Of course not. It just wouldn't do if I killed one of Frieza's favored by  _accident_."

"Oh you won't have to worry about that."

* * *

Bulma jerked awake when she heard noises from outside the metal box. She could barely open her eyes. Her throat was dry and her lips were chapped. It took a moment for her to realize that the low whistling sound was her slow hoarse breathing. She was so hot. It was a miracle she had even gotten any sleep, let alone woke up.

_Why did I wake up? Did I hear something? Did I imagine it?_

"You better not be dead in there!" Dodoria's voice boomed from outside the box. Startled, Bulma tried to move but found that besides being practically glued to the metal, her body was just too weak to make any sudden movements. When the top of the box flew off, Bulma squeezed her eyes shut. "Time to get up, little princess." Dodoria grabbed Bulma by her sore arm and pulled her out of the box.

Bulma bit down on her dry lip to keep from screaming. It felt like some of her skin had literally been ripped off. She was not surprised to feel the blood running down her left leg and arm. Dodoria gave her no time to adjust to standing and instead lifted her over his shoulder. Bulma exhaled slowly as she released her lip from her teeth. The air was still stuffy and stale but compared to the box it was damn near freezing.

Dodoria carried Bulma out of the torture chamber and down the hall. Bulma saw what looked like waves on the floor. She craned her neck to see a large, clear tank of water. Her eyes widened when she realized what Dodoria was about to do. Without much fanfare, he simply tossed her up in the air and into the tank.

The cold water hit Bulma like millions of pin pricks stabbing her repeatedly all over her body. Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She involuntarily drew in several breaths only to swallow more and more water. Her arms were still tied behind her back so she could not swim to the surface in order to breathe. She sank to the bottom of the deep tank. With her lungs starting to burn, Bulma looked outside of the tank. Dodoria was smiling. She continued to watch him and stopped struggling.

The pink alien's smile disappeared when he saw Bulma had gone still. He started to step forward to grab her out but something hit him in the face. He looked down at the floor and saw that it was a piece of glass. A few more pieces of glass fell to the floor. Little streams of water were coming from the minuscule holes in the tank. Dodoria watched on in shock as cracks began to spread across the glass. He shielded his eyes as the glass finally shattered. The room was immediately filled to his ankles in water. When he looked back to where the tank had been, all that was left was Bulma lying in the center of the metal floor of the tank. Grumbling, he walked over to her and rolled her over onto her back. She did not appear to be breathing.

 _I don't know what happened_ , Dodoria bent down and gave Bulma's chest a couple hard pushes,  _but I'm lucky it did. I have to be more careful. Frieza will kill me if the bitch dies_. After a few more hard pushes on her chest, Bulma started coughing. Dodoria turned her on her side so she could get the water out of her lungs.

Once her lungs were clear, Bulma inhaled deeply for much needed air. She had unconsciously used her powers again.  _That has not happened in a long time. I have to maintain control_ , she scolded herself. She winced when Dodoria grabbed her by her arm and lifted her again. He hoisted her over his shoulder and returned to the Vault.

"I think it's about time for you to heal up a bit. Wouldn't want you to get too used to the pain," Dodoria said. He walked over to the old rejuvenation tank and started it up. He sat Bulma down in it. For the first time, he remembered her arms were still tied behind her back. Sighing, he untied them. Her arms swung forward limply. There were angry red marks around Bulma's tiny wrists. He was not completely sure if they would heal all the way. Shrugging off his worries, he placed an oxygen mask on Bulma's face and closed her inside. "An hour should do. I'll see you soon, princess."

Bulma watched Dodoria leave the room. Her heart had finally slowed down and it did not feel as though it would burst through her ribcage. She relaxed when she felt the cool healing fluid start to fill the tank. Closing her eyes, she felt herself giving in to unconsciousness again.

* * *

 _"By the gods, I would gladly take being whipped to this pure_ _ **TORTURE** _ _!" With that, she let loose a bloodcurdling scream. She grabbed hold of Nappa again and squeezed his arm._

_It was not long before Chichi and Kinomi both entered the room. Nappa managed to sneak away from Bulma's grasp before she could grab him again. His ears were still ringing from her scream. He was barely out of the room before she screamed again._

_"How far are they apart, Bulma?" Chichi asked as she sat a tub of warm water down. She then put on some gloves. Kinomi was already in the process of cutting away Bulma's pants. Bulma did not manage to answer Chichi before another contraction ripped through her. Chichi's eyes widened as she felt the child's ki spike even higher than before. She frowned. There was distress in the ki. There was also more than one. "How could we have missed that?" she whispered._

_"Missed what?" Bulma managed to get out before another contraction came._

_Kinomi finished tearing away Bulma's pants and paused. "Uh, Chichi?" She tugged on Chichi's shirt. "This is way too much blood."_

_Bulma watched as Chichi nodded and placed a hand on her womb. Her face confirmed her thoughts. There were two babies; twins. While Chichi was happy with this, she knew Bulma needed to give birth and quickly. "Bulma, lift your knees and spread your legs."_

_"Can't... move..." Bulma whispered. Kinomi nodded and did it for her with her now-gloved hands. "It's like they don't stop. There's no time for me to..."_

_Chichi tuned Bulma out as another scream filled the air. She continued to feel around Bulma's womb. There was definitely a problem. "Bulma, when the next contraction hits I need you to push as hard as you can."_

_"Chichi, I can't... It hurts so..."_

_"_ **PUSH!** _" Kinomi yelled. Shocked into action, Bulma did as she was told. She reached out for anything to grab onto. Kinomi took her hand and let Bulma hold on to her. She looked down at Chichi. The other woman nodded. "He's coming fast! Again, Bulma!"_

_It went on for the next five minutes like that. Chichi smiled when she saw the small tail that followed after the baby. When she felt the slight resistance, she frowned. The child's tail was clinging to something. Chichi softly stroked it to get the baby to react. A loud squall was heard as the baby expressed his discomfort and the resistance gave away._

_"Kinomi," Chichi said. Kinomi pulled away from Bulma and took the child from Chichi. She immediately went to the tub of water and cleaned the child. She wrapped him in a towel and laid him on a little palette._

_Bulma turned her head when she saw Kinomi sit her son down. She smiled weakly at the sound of his crying. "If I ever see your brother again I'm going to murder him," she whispered._

_Kinomi chuckled as she resumed her position at Bulma's side. "No you won't. You'll cry and fawn over him like he's some sort of god. Hell, I bet you'd even jump his bones the moment you see him and create another one of these," she said, earning an amused snort from Bulma._

_In her euphoric reverie at seeing her baby, Bulma forgot all about her contractions. Her eyes went back to her newborn son. He was still crying and his tail was thrashing about wildly. It was not until she heard Chichi practically screaming her name that she was drawn back to reality. "Huh?"_

_"This is going to hurt, Bulma," Chichi said. Bulma appeared confused for a moment but then she noticed that she was still having contractions. "The baby is turned awkwardly. If you give birth like that, the baby will be deprived of air and... things could go wrong. I'm going to have to take the baby out manually."_

_"Wait. What? Manually? You mean... I thought I just..." Bulma inhaled sharply when another contraction passed._

_"She's lost so much blood already, Cheech. Can she handle this? She isn't as strong as us," Kinomi said quietly. She'd noticed how incredibly pale Bulma had gotten. She saw Chichi nod as well. The other woman looked very concerned. "I'm going to tell one of the guys to get Moori."_

_Bulma opened her eyes when she heard Kinomi leave. Chichi had lowered her legs and was now hovering over her. She ripped Bulma's shirt up to her breasts and looked down at her swollen womb. The Saiyan held up her right hand, showing a small knife of some sort. "Do it," she said hoarsely._

_"Are you ready?" Chichi asked without looking at her face. Just as Bulma began to nod, Chichi made an incision. Bulma threw her head back and screamed._

* * *

Vegeta threw water on his face while in the shower. Why that particular memory of Bulma's had played out in his mind during his entire spar with Zarbon left him bewildered. Bulma had said she had it hard but he never imagined that it would have been  _that_  hard. Having the child carved right out of her without proper anesthetics? Vegeta had a newfound appreciation for Bulma's strength.  _Childbirth_ , he thought with a shudder. Then his thoughts drifted to his spar with Zarbon.

Frieza's right hand had been tougher than Vegeta thought. The prince still held back a great deal so as not to give Zarbon too much of an idea of his full power. Vegeta had purposely not led Zarbon to his hideous transformation. That would have alerted Zarbon immediately. "Let the bastard believe he is stronger than I am. It'll make the look on his face that much sweeter when I rip his entrails out and shove them down his throat," Vegeta said to himself.

The prince stepped out of the shower and quickly dressed. He threw his regular armor on. Frieza had called for him. He probably had some meaningless mission ready for the prince. Vegeta had nearly forgotten that he was still working for the overlord.

* * *

Zarbon's pride had taken a major hit. He had fought Vegeta to a stalemate. He used to be able to destroy the younger prince with a few punches. It was quite clear that he had grown stronger.  _The little punk was probably still withholding his power. I should've been wearing a scouter. He nearly forced me into my transformation_ , he angrily thought. He pictured the disinterested look on Vegeta's face as they had sparred and it only served to make him angrier.

Now that he thought about it, Vegeta had looked rather distracted the entire spar. It was almost like he had been on autopilot. There were certain moments when Zarbon had managed to take him off guard and knock him back into the present. Other than those times, he rarely got a hit on the prince. Of course, it had not been like Vegeta was paying that close attention to him anyway.

 _Something isn't right with Vegeta. He's hiding something_.

Zarbon came to the door leading to Frieza and straightened his armor. The door opened and he was mildly surprised to see Dodoria speaking with Frieza. The spiked alien seemed a bit distressed. Zarbon walked slowly up to the two speaking. Frieza was shaking his head.

"My lord, she has only been in my care for one night. Are you sure that enough has been done?" Dodoria asked.

Frieza nodded. "I'd rather not put out that fire inside of her. Knowing your methods, she'll be a catatonic by the time you're done with her. Complete her healing  _all the way_. Then bring her here. I would like to have a few words with her." The tyrant noticed Zarbon standing there. "Ah! There you are! Where have you been all morning?"

Zarbon cleared his throat and made a little bow. "I was training with Vegeta, my lord."

" _With Vegeta_?" Frieza's face was one of dull surprise. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No, my lord. I'm positive he's actually grown in strength. He was able to keep up with me in my base form."

A grin spread across Frieza's face. "Well that is certainly nice to hear. I would almost be disappointed in him if my pet had not grown in strength all these years." The overlord noticed the grim look on Zarbon's face. "You're worried?"

"It's just that..." Zarbon trailed off. He did not want to show weakness or fear in front of Frieza. While he was concerned about Vegeta's true power, he would not let on that he was to Frieza. "It is nothing, my lord. I just think we need to keep a closer eye on Vegeta."

"I'm certain we do. I have a new job for him. There are a few more bases we've located that I want taken care of. I'm sending you and Dodoria in his place for now. His new  _assignment_  will keep him busy," Frieza said.

* * *

Bulma opened her eyes when she felt the movement of the healing fluid.  _Why did I just dream of my pregnancy?_  She saw that the tank was beginning to drain. Dodoria was standing in front of her and he did not look pleased. Bulma did notice that he carried a new bodysuit in his arms. When the tank opened, Dodoria tossed the bodysuit at her. She held it in her hands and looked down at it. Then she shakily stepped out of the tank and began to get dressed.

"Frieza has decided that you have learned your lesson. Hurry up and dress," Dodoria snapped.

After doing what he said, Bulma followed Dodoria out of the room. If she never saw this part of the fortress again it would be too soon. But now, she had no idea where Dodoria was going to take her. Was she going to see Frieza? Was she going to a cell? Dodoria had said nothing else on the subject. They stepped in the elevator and the door shut behind them.

Having become accustomed to the darkness of the Vault, Bulma was temporarily blinded by the bright fluorescent lights of the upper floors of the base. Her eyes took longer to adjust than she would have liked. Dodoria pulled her arm in order to keep her beside him. Once she fell into step with him, Bulma callously shrugged him off.

_Vegeta, where are you?_

_Woman, why are you..._

_Just tell me where you are. Dodoria is taking me somewhere and I don't know where. All he said is that Frieza was relieving me_.

* * *

Meanwhile, Vegeta mentally rolled his eyes. Before him, Frieza was droning on about some new assignment he was being given; an assignment that had nothing to do with capturing and destroying rebel bases. Vegeta just wanted Frieza to hurry up and tell him what it was. "Any idea when you'll be getting to the fucking point?"

Frieza stopped talking and blinked at Vegeta. He took a deep breath and decided to ignore his  _favorite's_  crass language and manners. "Do you recall that girl you brought back?"

"The one with the odd-colored hair? What about her?"

Thee overlord nodded. "She has history of... running off. She's also very valuable to me. Like you, she's a  _favorite_  of mine. Her abilities are invaluable."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, already knowing where Frieza was headed with this. "I am not a babysitter, Frieza. I am a warrior. Find someone else to take care of your little witch." The prince turned to leave but was stopped when the door slid open.

Dodoria grabbed Bulma's arm and threw her forward into the room. She stumbled for a moment and into Vegeta. She looked up at him and immediately stepped away. She watched Vegeta give her a quick once-over and then he sneered at her. Bulma rolled her eyes and stepped around him to see Frieza.

"Come here, Bulma," Frieza said, holding his right hand out. Bulma narrowed her eyes but walked forward nonetheless. She glanced down at Frieza's outstretched hand. Slowly, she put her hand in his. Frieza's fingers quickly closed around her wrists and pulled her forward. He held her close and examined her arms and neck. He took notice of her face and hair. "I do wish you had not cut those gorgeous locks of yours."

"I'm getting really tired of you assholes slinging me around like I'm a puppet. I'm perfectly capable of moving on my own," Bulma hissed. Frieza simply shrugged and took hold of her chin. He pulled her face closer to his and squeezed to make her open her mouth. As Bulma held her mouth open, he examined her teeth. After a moment, he released her brusquely. Bulma took a few steps back and rubbed her chin.

Frieza turned his narrowed gaze to Dodoria. "You better be glad they are growing back."

"I was aware that they would, my lord. You know I would never disobey a direct order," Dodoria said quickly.

"Did you at least keep the teeth?" Dodoria shook his head. "Go and fish them out of whatever hole you threw them in, you imbecile."

"Yes, my lord!" Dodoria turned and hightailed it out of the room.

Bulma raised an eyebrow as she watched him go. Then she glanced over at Frieza. "What do you need my teeth for?"

"You wouldn't be interested in hearing about my side projects, Bulma. You should be hoping Dodoria finds them. If he doesn't I'll just have him pull some more." Frieza smiled when he saw Bulma tense up. He turned his attention back to Vegeta. "Do what you want with her, Vegeta. Just make sure she stays alive and on this planet."

Vegeta shook his head. "I already said I am not babysitting this woman, Frieza. Find someone else for this menial chore."

Frieza's smile disappeared. "She is much craftier than she looks, Vegeta. You are not the type to give in to a pair of big, blue eyes. That's why this is your mission."

 _If only you knew, Frieza_... Bulma mentally smirked when she thought of how easily Vegeta gave in to Okura whenever she looked at him with big glassy eyes. Vegeta shot her a glare and she straightened up.

"Do I have to make this a direct order, Vegeta?" Frieza asked. Vegeta mumbled under his breath in his native language and turned his head away from Frieza. "I don't really care how you treat her. Just make sure she stays sane and unblemished. Besides, I'm sure she'll make a great bed-warmer."

The prince growled at the implications of Frieza's words and walked towards Bulma. He grabbed her by her arm and pulled her out of the room. The two moved quickly through the halls. Bulma tried to wriggle away from Vegeta but he would not release her. He said nothing nor did he look at her. Eventually, Bulma stopped struggling and tried to keep pace with him.

When Vegeta arrived at their destination, he put in the code for his room. The door slid open and he pushed Bulma inside. He stepped in behind her and shut the door. He opened his mouth to speak but paused. Something was strange.

"Even if you are keeping up an act, you don't have to be so rough, Vegeta," Bulma said, rubbing her arm. She turned around to see Vegeta looking cautiously around the room. She straightened up and watched him. He began moving around the room. He seemed to be... sniffing. "Is something wrong?"

Vegeta grunted but said nothing. He started walking towards Bulma. He stood right in front of her. "Someone has been in here. Probably to plant some sort of observation device." He watched Bulma immediately cover her mouth and shook his head. "The cameras here only capture visuals, not sound. You are free to say whatever you want, just watch your actions."

Bulma nodded and lowered her hands. "Why would Frieza put cameras in your room?" she asked.

"Why else do people hide cameras in places? He obviously wants to set something up between us and I have a few guesses what it is. He gave away more than he intended when he started discussing your teeth." Vegeta motioned for her to open her mouth. Bulma did and he looked at the spaces where her molars used to be. True to form, they were growing back. He then looked over her. "What else did he do?"

She closed her mouth and sighed. "I'm not going to tell you, Vegeta. It no longer matters. It's over." Bulma walked away from him. She sat down on the bed and glanced around the bare room. "Wow. I know you are a man of few possessions, Vegeta, but this is just ridiculous."

Vegeta was suddenly on top of Bulma. He pinned her hands above her head and lowered his face to hers. She was not tense, but she was looking at him questioningly. "If we're being watched, I cannot be  _nice_ to you. You already know this, woman. We are not safe even in here."

"So are you telling me that you're going to slap me around some more?"

"Of course not, woman. I don't hit women." He ran a gloved hand up her arm to her face. "I do torture them, however." He got up off the bed and released her.

Bulma sat up and frowned. "That is not funny, Vegeta."

"It wasn't a joke, woman. I was serious. I was  _under the influence_  for five years." The prince disappeared into the adjoining bathroom, leaving Bulma sitting there with her mouth hanging open.


	26. Resonance

Vegeta entered his room. When the lights turned on, he saw that Bulma was not there. Usually, she would be on his bed. He'd taken to avoiding his room at night. There was no way Bulma was going to sleep on the floor even if he was supposed to be treating her with little hospitality. Vegeta knew he would never hear the end of it. However, he did hear noises coming from the bathroom. Vegeta closed the door behind him and gave the wall a discreet look.

The prince had done a little research regarding the camera. He'd found out that the feed was indeed without sound. What he did not understand was why, though. What use would Frieza have for soundless video? Mentally shrugging, Vegeta headed towards the bathroom. If there was one thing he knew, it was that there were no cameras there.

Bulma paused in the shower when she heard the bathroom door slide open. Through the steamy glass she could see Vegeta's dark hair. She relaxed and continued washing her hair. "I didn't expect you back until much later," she said over the sound of the water.

"I figured I would take you to the mess hall early. I am not in the mood to watch those heathens gawk at you," Vegeta said in reply.

"As if the women don't ogle you? They look at me as though I'm stealing you away from away from them." She heard Vegeta snort and frowned. "How many of them have you slept with?" She flinched when the shower door slid open. The leer Vegeta was giving her made her mad for some reason.

"I've never slept with any of them," Vegeta said. He stepped in the shower behind her. "That would imply that I took them to my bed and they stayed the night."

"Oh? So you've never had _copulated_ with any of those women?" Bulma shivered as Vegeta wrapped his tail around her and pulled her back into his chest. "Vegeta..."

" _Sleeping with_  and  _fucking_  are two different things in my book, woman. I can fuck in a custodian closet if I so chose. Hell, I don't think anyone would look twice if I bent one of those whores over a table in the mess hall." He was prepared for the fist she threw at him when she whirled around. He caught it easily while grinning mischievously at her.

Bulma wrenched her arm away from him and continued washing the shampoo out of her hair. "Man-whore," she grumbled as she stepped out of the shower. She heard Vegeta's chuckling while she dried herself off. "Do you know anything about why Frieza has us under surveillance?"

"It's a soundless feed. I don't have any idea why he would watch us soundlessly. It doesn't make sense," Vegeta said over the water.

Bulma frowned while she ran a hand through her damp hair. Vegeta was right. It didn't make any sense why Frieza would have a soundless feed. Why would he be watching them? What was he expecting Vegeta to do? "You don't think he expects you to... uh... to..."

"To  _violate_  you, woman?" Vegeta finished for her.

"If that's the way you want to put it."

"Probably. Frieza should know that even if I was under some sort of mind control that my instincts would never permit me to do something like that." Vegeta came out of the shower. He used his ki to dry himself off. "Saiyans may have barbaric tendencies, but we don't look too highly on men who abuse women."

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Kinomi told me once that Saiyan men would do it for the woman they wanted."

"That doesn't mean it wasn't looked down upon." Vegeta walked past her and back into the room.

"You don't think he's suspicious of us, do you?" she asked.

"He might be. Of what, I wouldn't know. We haven't given him any reason to be."

"Unless he's been feeding you orders through that chip and nothing has happened."

Vegeta shook his head while pulling a shirt over his head. "The chip didn't send me orders. It just regulated my behavior. It was almost as if my free will was taken away."

* * *

Elsewhere, Frieza was watching Bulma and Vegeta interact on video. For the most part, Vegeta had seemed indifferent to her. They looked to get into a few arguments here and there, but there was nothing particularly interesting happening. This did not please him. The overlord had expected Vegeta to be more... ruthless. He'd never shown any type of care for anyone else, so why was he leaving Bulma to her own devices? The prince even let Bulma have his bed at night while he was off doing who knows what. He turned the monitor off.

 _Vegeta has become rather docile as of late. Perhaps the chip needs adjusting_ , Frieza thought. He tapped his finger on his chin as he thought of his next course of action. He would need to get in touch with Tintissi in order to adjust the chip.  _That needs to happen as soon as possible. But first, I have something special for Bulma_...

* * *

Vegeta and Bulma were on their way back to the prince's quarters when Zarbon's voice came into Vegeta's scouter. The prince had started wearing it again just to keep up appearances. He stopped walking when Frieza's lackey started speaking. "What do you want?"

Bulma stepped up beside Vegeta. She watched his face contort from annoyance to anger. He looked up at her and she mouthed  _what_  to him. He held up a finger and continued to listen to Zarbon. When the call ended Bulma motioned for him to speak.

"Frieza wants to see you. Apparently you have work to do." He took hold of her arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. Bulma rolled her eyes at being treated roughly again.

The duo went down a few floors to one of Frieza's observation rooms. When they entered, there were a few of Frieza's scientists as well as Zarbon and Dodoria waiting. Frieza sat in his hovering chair, speaking with the red alien with mechanical hands strapped to her body. Vegeta vaguely recognized her. She had done a number of  _physicals_  on him before. She noticed him and smiled.

Bulma noticed this immediately.  _Did you fuck her too?_  She nearly laughed when she saw the glare Vegeta gave her.  _I was just kidding. She doesn't look your type anyway._

 _Quiet, woman._  Vegeta released her when they stopped in front of Frieza.

"Good evening, Bulma," Frieza said cordially. Bulma did not respond, instead choosing to give him a nasty glare. Frieza shook it off and looked over at the red-skinned scientist beside him. "I don't think you've met Tintissi before. She's my head scientist on my more... important endeavors." He gestured to the scientist.

Tintissi turned her attention to Bulma. "I've heard so much about you, Bulma. Lord Frieza speaks quite highly of you."

"I'm sure he does," Bulma said quietly, giving the woman a once-over. Then she took her glare back over to Frieza. "What do you want? Why am I here?"

Frieza smiled at her. "I may have let you relax these past few weeks, but you still have a job to do, Bulma. Or did you forget that you work for me?" He smirked when Bulma narrowed her eyes at him. "Well, let's get started. You remember the precognitive resonance amplifier, don't you?"

For the first time, Bulma noticed the large tubular tank behind Frieza and Tintissi. It was slightly different from the one that had been at the Ark. The glass tank was smaller and would probably only allow Bulma enough room to curl into a fetal position. "I didn't know you had built another one," Bulma said quietly.

"Oh yes. I know pulling information from you is like pulling teeth. Though, Dodoria had an easy enough time with your teeth." Frieza chuckled a little at his own joke. Bulma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Tintissi here designed this one and it has just recently been completed. Perfecting this machine was almost worth you gallivanting across the cosmos for years. Don't just stare at it. We have work to do."

Bulma chanced a glance at Vegeta. He was staring straight ahead at the machine, frowning deeply. He gave her quick nod and she faced the machine again. Sighing, Bulma removed her shoes and headed towards the tank.

"Oh Bulma?" Tintissi called. Bulma turned around to look at the scientist. "You'll need to be naked for this. We need as little static as possible," she said in a friendly voice. The lavender-haired telepath bit her tongue to keep from spewing venom at her. Sighing, she started to remove her bodysuit. Tintissi walked up to her.

As Bulma was pulling the bodysuit down to her midsection, one of Tintissi's metal arms tacked an electrode onto her chest. Bulma continued shimmying out of the bodysuit. When she stood up straight, Tintissi's arms attached electrodes to her in a flurry of motion. Bulma gasped when something was stuck into her nostrils. She glared at the scientist as her metal arms retracted. Tintissi just smiled again.

"Go on." She motioned towards the tank.

Vegeta watched Bulma climb into the tank. He tried not to be aware of all the eyes that were on her.  _Can you control what Frieza will see?_

Bulma flinched as she slid down into the tube. She had not expected Vegeta's voice to enter her mind.  _I don't know. It would be best if you didn't try to contact me or anything. I don't know if your thoughts will interfere_ , Bulma said to him.

Vegeta nodded imperceptibly and uncrossed his arms. "Do I need to be here for this?" he asked gruffly.

Frieza faced him. "You seem to doubt my judgement in keeping Bulma around. So I'll now show you why she's just as important as you are." He looked at Tintissi. "Start the machine."

Bulma looked up as the top of the tank shut above her. She heard it lock above her. Then the tank began filling with a hot purple liquid. It was nearly scalding. Bulma looked up at Frieza through the glass.  _What the hell is this?_

"Be calm, Bulma," came Tintissi's voice. The woman had disappeared from Bulma's line of sight. "Heat relaxes your muscles an opens up your blood vessels. Blood flow will increase this way. This increased blood flow with help with keeping you relaxed enough when the resonance starts."

Tintissi's explanation did not comfort Bulma in the least. The liquid was still incredibly hot. It was nearly to her neck when she noticed that it had become thicker. It also dawned on Bulma that she also had nothing to help her with breathing as the liquid came up to her face. She took a deep breath as she was submerged. It was hard to move in the thick substance. Bulma looked outside of the glass and saw Tintissi motioning for her to breathe. Confused, Bulma tried it and found that she could. Apparently the object Tintissi had shoved into her nostrils allowed that.

"Okay. Now that we've gotten all of that out the way..." Tintissi walked towards the control panel. With her real right arm, she pressed a purple button. Bulma opened her mouth in a silent scream as shocks from the electrodes all over her body activated at once. The pain seemed to overwhelm her and her eyes rolled up as she appeared to faint.

* * *

_Bulma's eyes fluttered open slowly. It was too bright. She could not make anything out. All she could tell was that she was laying on her right side. The ground was cool below her and she assumed she was on grass. It was silent all around her, except for voices she heard to her left. She slowly turned her head._

_That was where the blinding light was coming from. She could not make out anything, but she could hear the muffled voices. Although she could not see, she squinted while trying to listen to the voices._

_"I cannot die."_

_"That may be true. But," there was a long pause, "there are far worse things than death."_

_Bulma blinked a few times. Her vision was starting to clear. She could make out a person's silhouette. They were facing away from her. There was a bright aura surrounding them. They appeared to squat down. Bulma watched them form a small blade of ki with two gloved fingers._

_"What... What are you doing?"_

_"What does it look like?"_

* * *

Bulma sat up. She was no longer where she last remembered being. She hugged herself, feeling the clamminess of her skin, though she was cold. She touched her chest, seeing that she was wearing some sort of loose sleeveless shirt. She noticed her hair had also changed. It was slicked back but it was definitely much longer than it had been before. Where was she anyway? She turned her head to the right when she heard a door open. Bulma relaxed when she realized who it was.

"You're finally awake," Vegeta said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

Bulma shrugged. "Using that damn machine always made me tired. How long was I out?" she asked.

"Long enough."

"What did Frieza see?"

Vegeta smirked. "He saw his wish for immortality become a reality. That seems to be what he wants with those wish balls."

Bulma nodded. "Then that means he didn't see what happens after that." She saw Vegeta perk up at this news. "I'm not sure I should tell you. I'm not entirely sure what I saw myself. But it was definitely the aftermath of something. Something was said about not being able to die. I suppose that was Frieza."

"Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"It could be advantageous to us. I don't want to influence more than I probably already have."

"I don't think anything matters now. Frieza is sure to get his wish and we can do nothing to stop it," Vegeta said angrily. He turned to leave the room again when Bulma's voice stopped him.

"...  _there are far worse things than death_ ," she whispered. Vegeta faced her again. "That is what the other voice said."

Before Vegeta could inquire about the voice, his scouter started beeping. Bulma watched him fiddle with it for a moment. She chuckled softly as she watched Vegeta's facial expressions change. After a moment, he turned the scouter back off and stared at the wall.

"Well?" Bulma pried.

Vegeta glanced at her. "Frieza is sending me out on a purge."

Bulma's face fell. "So I guess that means you'll be leaving me here," she said. Vegeta shook his head and she raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Frieza has requested that you accompany me."

Bulma sat on the bed dumbfounded. Why would Frieza want her to go with Vegeta on a purge?  _Wouldn't he be worried about me trying to escape?_  It did not make sense to her.

"He wants to frighten you." Vegeta smirked at Bulma nearly falling off the bed at the sound of his voice. He'd heard her thoughts even though she was not intentionally projecting them. "He's probably trying to get you to see me as a monster."

Bulma snorted. "I've already seen enough of what you do on a purge to last me a lifetime. I saw your exploits in  _dreams_. That really has not changed how I feel about you. So Frieza is sorely mistaken if he thinks watching you kill innocent people will have any effect on me," she said. It suddenly dawned on her that Vegeta was not wearing his armor. He was just in a black bodysuit with his gloves and boots.

"There's a difference between seeing it through a lens and actually watching me as I do it, woman. It isn't... Why the hell are you staring at me like that?" Vegeta noticed her ogling him.

The telepath shook her head but continued to look Vegeta over. "Do you think there are any cameras in here?" She swung her legs over the side of the cot she was on.

Vegeta eyed her warily as she stood. "There are cameras everywhere, woman. At least, outside of most living quarters there are. I know what you're thinking right now and the answer is no." His words seemed to go through one ear and out the other. She was now approaching him.

"But it's been so long. We didn't do much when we were on Namek." Bulma stopped directly in front of him. She was as close as she could be without actually touching him. Vegeta looked down his nose at her. "I kinda like you being a little taller than me. It adds to your... appeal," Bulma said.

The prince's frown deepened. "We might've been able to do more if you hadn't let the brats sleep with us every fucking night," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Well you're the one who left a  _parting gift_  when we escaped the Ark," Bulma hissed back at him. Her eyes dropped from his face to his chest and she resumed ogling. "There's no law against looking, though."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and took her by the wrist. He opened the door to the room and led her out. They walked in silence back to Vegeta's quarters. They got there rather quickly but not without a few people receiving warning growls from Vegeta for looking a little too hard at Bulma. The moment Vegeta closed the door behind them, Bulma pushed him against the wall.

"Woman, what are you..."

"We both know what Frieza wants us to do; what he expects you to do," Bulma said.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to give him the satisfaction," Vegeta said. He was very curious and concerned about where this sudden aggression had come from. Bulma had never been this forceful when it came to these matters.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Then give  _me_  the satisfaction."

"No." It even sounded weak to him. The smile on Bulma's face confirmed that he had not said it with as much force as he meant to. "No, woman. It's out of the question."

Bulma stepped away from him. She pulled the ugly baggy shirt over her head and tossed it at Vegeta. It just hit him and fell to the floor. "I'm going to take a shower. I need to wash this crap out of my hair." She turned and walked away.

Vegeta heard the bathroom door open and close. He listened as Bulma started the shower. Looking down, he saw the ugly shirt she'd been clad in laying at his feet. He discreetly looked in the direction that he knew the camera to be.  _I guess if he can't see us then he can't watch either_ , he reasoned.

Bulma was rinsing the shampoo out of her hair when the shower door opened. The sudden burst of cool air shocked her enough for her to stumble backwards. Vegeta's tail closed around her waist and pulled her upright. She blinked a few times, realizing it was just him.

"You could've just knocked," she said.

Vegeta released her and shut the shower door. Bulma was doing it again. She was  _ogling_ him. She was so shameless with it as well. There was no subtlety whatsoever. "Woman, what is with the staring?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I can't even touch you in public without acting like I'm attacking you. Now I'm not even allowed to look at you?" She turned around to continue washing her hair. Vegeta crossed his arms and watched her. She added more shampoo in order to wash all of her hair. It was much longer than she initially thought. Vegeta heard her mumbling to herself and smacked her hands away. Bulma turned to give him a piece of her mind when she noticed he was putting shampoo in his hands.

"Turn around, woman," he said quietly. Bulma barely heard him over the running water but did as she was told. She felt the light tugging as Vegeta washed the rest of her hair. She decided to stay quiet. There was no telling when Vegeta's mood would change. He pulled her hair a little, telling her to step back under the showerhead. While he rinsed the shampoo from her hair, she felt him get close to her ear. "If you ever tell anyone about this, I will find some way to torture you."

Bulma just leaned back into him. "My lips are sealed."

* * *

Late that night, Vegeta slipped out of his room and headed for the one place he knew he could make a secret call: Zarbon's room. Zarbon usually spent his nights in one of the brothels, so Vegeta would not need to worry about him making an appearance. He could always sense Zarbon coming if the other man decided to deviate from his habits.

Vegeta began the tedious task of going through secure lines to call the resistance. Even if he could keep the call secure, there was still too much risk of giving up the location of the rest of the Saiyans. So he sent his call to Juu. The woman picked up soon.

" _Blue?_ "

"Yes, it's me." Vegeta heard an almost relieved sigh at the other end. "I need you to tell the others that they have to get off Namek."

" _And go where, might I ask?_ "

"That's up to you. I don't care where you send them. Just make sure it's somewhere that'll be safe for the time being."

" _Is Frieza heading there already?_ "

"I don't know. The woman showed him a vision in that machine. He knows he eventually gets what he wants. I don't know when that will be, though. He's still on Planet Twelve."

" _I see. I'll send them to an obscure base._ "

"It's better if I don't know where you send them." Vegeta paused for a moment. "Though I suppose it wouldn't matter."

" _Why do you say that?_ "

"Frieza is having the woman use that machine. We can only hope she doesn't pull a vision of them up at any point."

" _She cannot control what Frieza sees?_ "

"No. The machine pulls them from her against her will." Vegeta noticed the time on the clock. "I need to go. Remember what I said. They need to leave immediately." He did not wait for a response and ended the call.

* * *

Bulma sat against the headboard of the bed with her knees drawn up. She had found herself waking up from a dream of her children. She'd tried not to think of them too much since leaving, but now she was worried. She knew Frieza makes it to Namek at some point, just not when. Vegeta told her that he would send a message to them. Still, she missed them. They had never been apart.

With a sigh, Bulma began to get back under the covers. She paused when heard the door sliding open. "I didn't know you would be back so..." Bulma stopped talking when she noticed it was not Vegeta entering her room. "How did you get in here?"

Zarbon did not reply to her immediately. Instead, he glanced around the room. He expected it to be practically bare. Vegeta did not spend much time in it except to sleep and wash. Then he looked at Bulma. She was sitting with her back straight against the headboard, clutching the blanket up to her chest.

"Vegeta allows you to sleep in his bed? You must be using your mind tricks on him," he said, approaching the bed slowly.

Bulma frowned. "I can't make people do what I want. He's not here most of the time and I suspect he doesn't care. Now why are  _you_  here?"

Zarbon sat down on the bed. "I just came to see how Frieza's favorite was doing." He reached out for her and Bulma squirmed away. With a lunge, he took hold of her chin and held her still. "He's left you untouched."

"He says he doesn't hit women." Bulma moved out of Zarbon's grasp while he chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Surely you didn't believe that lie."

"He doesn't attack them if they don't attack him first. I'm well aware of the things he's done. Do you think I haven't seen what's in his mind?" Bulma lowered the cover, staring into Zarbon's eyes. The man stiffened while she crawled forward. "It's far more horrible than you could imagine." Bulma put her hand on Zarbon's shoulder.

Frieza's right hand was not prepared in any way for the onslaught of images that flooded his mind. Death and destruction were all that he could see. It all seemed so real that he was sure he could smell the stench of blood. He was seeing all of this from a first person perspective. Was this what Vegeta did on his missions? For the first time, he realized why the Saiyan seemed even more feared than he did despite him being the weaker of the two.

"Oh he is far from the weaker of you two," came Bulma's disembodied voice. The scene around him changed. His eyes widened when he realized who was in front of him: Kinomi. She was different. She seemed older and her hair seemed spikier and longer. Just as she took a step forward, he was pulled back into the present.

Zarbon stood up and stumbled away from Bulma. She sat on the bed, glaring back at him. "You're a witch. Planting false images in my mind," he whispered.

Bulma shook her head. "No. They were real." She smirked at him. "It seems you long for a certain princess. Or is it fear that is on you?"

"You..." Zarbon moved faster than Bulma could react. His hand closed around her neck. "I don't give a damn what Frieza says. I will end you right here, right now." He held her down on the bed, choking her. She clawed at his hands, trying to focus but he had given her no time to think. Her grip on his arm began to loosen.

It took Zarbon a moment to realize that he was suddenly on the floor. He began to turn his head only to have a boot come down on his face. He turned his eyes and saw Vegeta staring impassively down on him with those black eyes.

"Is there a reason you're in my quarters?" Vegeta's face was the picture of indifference but his voice told a different story. It sounded strained, as though he were holding back. "Trying to frame me for the death of this woman?"

"You forget your place, Vegeta."

Vegeta'a eyes narrowed but he took his foot off of Zarbon's face. "Get the fuck out of my room," he said while Zarbon got to his feet. The other man took a cursory glance at Bulma, who was coughing while trying to get air into her lungs. Smirking, he turned and left the room.

The prince turned and looked at Bulma. He moved over to her. She was struggling to inhale. He pulled her up to a sitting position and got behind her.  _Slow down, woman. Deep breaths_.

Bulma tried to slow down. It was harder than Vegeta made it seem. Her coughing was replaced with loud wheezing, but she started to breathe a bit better. Once she got it under some sort of control, the pain in her neck registered. Vegeta had removed his gloves and was already examining the purple bruises that adorned her neck.

"What did you do?" he whispered.

"Showed... why... fear... you," Bulma replied as best as she could. "Won't... cam... see?"

"I don't care." Vegeta buried his face in her neck, his hand now on her chest to help her breathe. "I am going to kill that asshole." He heard Bulma cough out a chuckle. "Something funny?"

"Not... you..." Bulma shook her head. "He's... not... yours."

Vegeta took that to mean that Zarbon would not meet his end at his hands. Apparently reading his mind, Bulma nodded her affirmation. Her breathing was somewhat regular now and her heart had slowed to a steady rhythm. Vegeta wondered who Bulma knew it to be, but decided he would rather be surprised.

"Get some rest, woman. We will be leaving in a few hours."

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?" Kakarrot asked. He stood behind the pilot's chair, looking out at the giant red planet below them. They had been traveling for about 2 weeks. The planet looked very uninviting. The surface was not visible through the thick clouds that covered it. Every so often there were a few flashes of light. Clearly they were storm clouds.

Tarble nodded. "These are the coordinates Juu gave us. I'm trying to get in touch with a the colony that's on the planet," he said.

"There's a colony in that?" Kinomi asked from the seat beside him. Tarble shrugged and started searching for the signal. He found the correct signal but all that was heard was static. He tried to clear it up but there was only static. Tarble started to change the signal when Kinomi stopped him. "Wait. Listen."

Tarble raised an eyebrow and listened. He could only hear the hiss of static. Kinomi was staring out the window but her eyes were narrowed in concentration. "I don't hear anything, Kinomi. Do you hear anything, Kakarrot?" Tarble looked back at the older man. He shook his head and they both looked back at Kinomi.

Kinomi chuckled. "Finally something I know that you don't." She took control of the ship and started guiding it in another direction. She saw her twin looking confused beside her. "It isn't static and you can only hear it if you've been trained to know what to look for. Kakarrot, I'm surprised you did not pick up on it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"I can't remember the name of it, but I know that Vegeta learned it a while back. He tried teaching me but it was tedious. I picked up enough, though. It's some sort of code from that planet that blonde woman comes from. It isn't universally known and it's discreet. Smart of them to use it. You might want to go tell the others to prepare for entry. They say these storms make for a bumpy ride," Kinomi said. Kakarrot went to find the others, leaving the twins alone.

"I'm impressed," Tarble said.

"You should be. Hold on." Kinomi directed the ship into the atmosphere.

* * *

Chichi stumbled back when the ship entered the atmosphere. She immediately turned her body so that her back would hit the wall. She leaned against it while the ship continued to shake. The feeling of the planet's gravity hit her and she suddenly felt sick. Normally it would not bother her, but her circumstances were different. She leaned up off the wall and tried to keep walking. The ship shook again and this time Chichi went flying backwards.

"Should you be out roaming the halls while we're landing?" Raditz asked. He'd saved Chichi from a messy fall. He helped her stand upright. "You'll send yourself into premature labor."

"Oh hush. I got hungry and I wanted to check up on the children. They've been too quiet for too long," Chichi said, glancing towards the door she'd been trying to get to. Raditz walked ahead of her and she grabbed on to his arm to keep steady.

"Quiet brats. Isn't that a good thing?" Raditz asked.

Chichi snorted. " _Quiet_  for too long means they are up to no good."

They came to the room where the children were. Chichi opened the door to see Gohan and Trunks asleep in various positions around the room. Okura was staring out of the only small porthole window in the room. All that could be seen were the red clouds they were descending through and the occasional lightning strike.

 _Are we there yet?_  Okura sent to Chichi. The girl did not turn to look at her.

"Yes. We're landing now," Chichi replied. She made her way over to the little girl. Okura had stopped talking to them when Vegeta and Bulma left. She'd gone back to just communicating mentally. "We should be safe here while we wait for your parents to come back."

Okura nodded but did not say anything back. The ship shook again and Chichi stumbled. Raditz caught her again and helped her sit down. Okura finally looked at Chichi. She had been intrigued by Chichi's pregnancy. All of the men seemed to get so protective over her all of a sudden.  _When do you think they will come back?_

Chichi sighed. This was not the first time she'd heard a question like this. Trunks asked about Vegeta and Bulma on an almost daily basis. "I don't know. We do know they're fine, though. Vegeta is the one who told us we had to leave." She hoped that would satisfy the girl enough. Luckily, Okura did seem satisfied. She went back to watching the window. Chichi followed her gaze and saw that they had broken through the clouds.

* * *

Tarble raised an eyebrow when he saw the scenery beneath the clouds. It was definitely not what he'd been expecting. He heard a crackling noise. He noticed the windows frosting up. "The temperature outside is well below freezing. I was expecting a hot desert," he said.

Kinomi snorted. "Instead we get a frozen wasteland." She saw some lights in the distance. "I think that's the colony. Let's hope our stay here doesn't end up like the Ark did."

* * *

"So that's it?"

"Yes."

The planet of Duggar was a lot smaller than Bulma had imagined it would be. It was like a blue marble. It appeared to be mostly ocean with a few large landmasses placed around it. She relaxed back in the copilot's chair. Vegeta had convinced Frieza into letting him take a ship instead of two pods. His reasoning had been so that it would be easier to keep watch over Bulma.

Vegeta took the ship off of autopilot. "I need to find somewhere hidden to land." He started a scan of the planet to find a scarcely populated area. He found a remote forest just as the ship entered the atmosphere. Their descent was smooth and the ship was hidden in a thick and lush forest. Vegeta turned the engines off and relaxed back in his chair. He could feel Bulma watching him.

The gravity of what Vegeta was about to go do was settling on Bulma. She was about to go and watch him purge the planet of sentient life. She did not know how she felt about that at the time. His expression was unreadable while he just stared out at the endless forest before them. Sighing, Bulma decided to go and put on something more appropriate.

The prince watched her go in silence. When he heard the door close, he stretched out his senses to see estimate how many people were on the planet and their general ability. The population was not high by any stretch of the imagination and neither were they strong. Tarble could handle this planet by himself. There seemed to be only four large settlements over the planet with few others scattered about. If he was smart about it, Vegeta figured he could be done in a day. He rose from his seat.

* * *

Bulma was pulling a shirt over her head when she found herself on her back on the bed she'd been sharing with Vegeta. Confused and dizzy, she lifted the shirt back off and saw Vegeta hovering over her. "What are you doing? I was almost ready," she said.

"I am in no rush, woman," he said. He lowered his head to her neck and inhaled her scent.

"Are you sure there's nothing in here that's been recording us?" she asked. She heard him snort next to her ear.

"If there is, then we've given them quite the show."

"I'm serious, Vegeta." Bulma tried to sit up. He allowed her to push him back so she could sit up. "Are you sure?"

Vegeta resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Woman, why does it suddenly matter? And if there was something in here, I would've known already. I went over this ship several times for bugs. There's nothing watching us. Now," he pushed her back down, "shut up."

Bulma grumbled but allowed Vegeta to kiss her. She halfheartedly kissed back, trying to stay mad. Unfortunately, he was extremely good with his hands and her resistance did not last long. He had her almost screaming his name when she felt a sharp twinge in her neck.

Vegeta lifted himself up as Bulma's head lolled to the side. She was out cold. Vegeta lifted her up and laid her down properly on the bed. She would be furious when she woke up but he would chew that food when he had to. After making sure she would wake up comfortably, Vegeta changed into a new bodysuit and armor. He had a job to do.

* * *

Tintissi was confused. She did not like being confused. Vegeta's chip was not responding. Frieza had told her to send Vegeta a special set of... urges. But the chip she'd implanted years ago was not responding. She had never had this problem before.  _Is he too far away for the signal to reach? A magnetic field obstructing it? How can this be happening?_  She wracked her brain trying to figure out what the problem was. Sighing, she went in search of Frieza.

The tyrant was lounging on his private observation deck. She entered without announcing herself. Frieza was about to reprimand her when he noticed the look on her face. "Is something wrong, Tintissi?"

"My lord, Vegeta's chip is not responding to my signal. Duggar is not so far away that the signal cannot reach. I do not understand what could have happened," she said.

Frieza almost laughed at her frustration. She appeared more irritated that her contraption did not work than that it was holding up something he wanted. "Relax, Tintissi. It could just be a malfunction. Either way, Vegeta is still under our control. You'll just have to..."

"That's just it, my lord. I cannot tell if Vegeta is under our control or not. Without a response, I cannot even tell if it's still working." She watched Frieza's expression change. "I cannot know if he will return or not."

Frieza's eyes narrowed. "Monitor his ship and scouter activity. If he strays, I want to know about it. When he comes back, you will check that chip and make sure it is still functional."

Tintissi bowed her head. "Yes, my lord." She turned and left the room, leaving Frieza to stew in his thoughts.

 _Nothing seemed amiss with him since he's been back. He's been the same as he always has since the chip was activated. This is needless worrying_ , Frieza told himself. He looked out the window towards the stars. But what if Vegeta had just been playing him? What purpose would it serve to continue to serve Frieza is his mind was free? He would only be able to tell when Vegeta came back.

* * *

Bulma moaned as she opened her eyes. She sat up slowly, rubbing her neck. It took a moment for her to recognize her surroundings. Then she remembered why her neck hurt. Narrowing her eyes, she scrambled out of the bed. She quickly finished dressing and ran outside of the ship.

It was dark and silent in the forest the ship was hidden in. There was the faint smell of fire and Bulma could see the sky was a bit hazy. Bulma ran towards where she saw the smoke coming from. She ran for a long time but eventually she could see light coming from a clearing. She ran directly into it. She found herself in some sort of village. Bulma looked around, looking for any sign of life. She went into one of the burning huts.

Vegeta's ears twitched. Having accomplished his mission, he was on his way back. He'd been hoping to make it back before Bulma came to. He could sense her ki a little ways away from the ship; at the first village he'd encountered. He sighed, knowing it was going to be a long night.

Bulma walked to what she assumed was the center of the village. She closed her eyes and took down her mental blocks.

Silence.

After a few moments of trying to reach anyone, she lowered her head. "You've killed them all," she whispered. She turned around to face Vegeta. He'd landed a few feet away from her. Looking over him, he did not have a single scratch on him. He looked as though he'd done nothing at all.

"That was my mission," he said blankly. He knew she was stating a fact, not asking.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Why did you knock me out?"

"So you wouldn't do what you're doing now."

"And what is that?"

"Act surprised like you didn't know that this is what I do."

"I'm not  _surprised_ , Vegeta. It's just..." Bulma sighed. She did not know why she felt the way she did. What had she expected? For him not to go through with his orders? That was out of the question. "It would help if you weren't always so blasé about these things."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Were you  _blasé_ when you killed Frieza's men during your escape attempts?" He watched her narrow her eyes at him.

"They weren't innocent people, Vegeta. It's not comparable to wiping an entire planet clean of civilization."

"Maybe not. But I hardly think you have the moral high ground here. Do you believe that everyone who works for Frieza works for him willingly? That we are the only ones in his service against our will?"

Bulma sighed and looked away from him. "Take me to one of the larger cities," she said after a few moments of tense silence. Vegeta silently scooped her up and took to the air. They flew in silence to a burning city. Bulma wasted no time getting away from him as soon as he landed. She looked around at the burning buildings. Closing her eyes, she reached out to see if anyone was still alive. There was still that eerie silence.

Vegeta crossed his arms. Why had she wanted to come here? He followed at a distance behind her while she walked through the blazing streets.

"Like you said, there's a difference between seeing what you've done through your eyes versus seeing it for myself. You're back in control so I assume this was the  _merciful_  way you go about purging," Bulma said. She was not talking loudly, but she knew Vegeta could hear her. Eventually, she stopped walking and faced him. Vegeta stopped where he was. "I had wanted to show you this back on Namek but I never found the time."

The prince raised an eyebrow. "Woman, what are you..."

"Do you remember when I left my body?"


	27. On the Run

Vegeta remembered vividly when Bulma had  _left_  her body five years earlier. It was hard to forget something like that. It's not every day someone just  _leaves_  their body like a ghost. He watched Bulma look around at the burning buildings. "I remember enough. What about it?" he asked.

Bulma faced him again. "Well, you've seen that I've gotten a further handle on my powers. At least the mental side of things. Over the last couple of years I've discovered how to attain that level the right way."

"The right way? You mean to say that wasn't the correct way?"

"Of course not. It wasn't even the complete form. Technically, I'm not supposed to leave my body behind at all. I was only halfway there." Bulma looked down at her hands. "It's very hard to hold the form, though."

Vegeta watched as her skin seemed to peel away. What showed now was the light blue that had surrounded her ethereal form five years prior. Bulma continued to watch her hands as the transformation completed itself. She had not left her body behind. She had transformed it completely. Looking up, she started to walk towards him. Vegeta noticed she did not disturb the dusty ground nor did she have a shadow. She might as well have not even been there. It dawned on him that even the minuscule ki he usually felt from her was gone altogether.

"And what does this form do?" he asked. Bulma stopped close to him. He felt warmth but at the same time it chilled him.

Bulma smirked. "Well, I can't touch anything. I can influence the corporeal plane, though." She turned to the burning building. Vegeta followed her gaze and watched as the fire lessened around the building. Soon, it was no longer burning while everything else was still ablaze.

"Like what you did to Jeice?" Vegeta asked. Bulma looked back at him. "What?"

"That requires an intense amount of power. As I learned about my powers over the last few years, I learned that doing that is very detrimental to my health. There's a reason I always had a headache and a nosebleed after doing something like that."

"So you're saying you can't do it anymore?"

"No, I can still do it. I can do that to anything. You should see the  _SCALE_  with which I can do it. Far greater than anything you've ever seen me do, including Bedryf. Step closer to me." Bulma beckoned him forward with one finger. Vegeta obeyed her silently. He stood about a foot from her and watched her close her eyes.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow and the fires extinguished around him. Soon after that, the buildings and structures followed suit. Everything seemed to just dissolve into nothing. Soon, it was just them in an enormous, barren plain. Vegeta looked back at Bulma. She lazily opened her eyes. He could see the exhaustion on her face.

"It just uses up an immense amount of power and puts a lot of pressure on my mind. That wasn't as stressful since I was not dealing with  _living_  matter." Bulma gave him a weak smile. "I have the ability to end Frieza almost whenever I want, but I run the risk of killing myself. The irony is not lost on me."

"Then you won't. We'll get rid of him another way." Vegeta saw Bulma about to protest and shook his head. "Never do it again." His tone left no room for discussion. He turned and walked away from her, surveying the leftover dust of what had once been the city.

Bulma raised an eyebrow at his tone. She would not promise him anything like that. She would gladly give her life if it meant keeping him or their children alive. Instead, she just took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "There is one thing I do hate about this form, though."

Vegeta faced Bulma again. She had returned to normal. However, she remained naked. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta took off his shirt and tossed it at Bulma. She giggled sheepishly and put it on. "Let's pray you never have to assume that form in public," he said as he picked her up.

Bulma surveyed the now lifeless cities beneath them as they flew back to the ship.  _This can't happen anymore. This has to stop. It stops now_ , she thought resolutely. She turned her head away from the damage Vegeta had caused and buried her face in his chest.

The prince looked down at Bulma. He'd heard her thoughts but did not comment on it. He didn't think she meant for him to hear in the first place. He remembered how it was pretty much out of her control when she was touching him. When he landed in front of the ship, Bulma took off towards the entrance as soon as her feet hit the ground. Vegeta crossed his arms and followed at a slower pace.

As soon as she entered their shared room on the ship, Bulma headed for the bathroom. She felt she needed to shower. Before she even got to the bathroom, the world seemed to turn upside down. She knocked into side of the bathroom door. Leaning against it, she regained her balance. Her vision was a little blurry and she felt as though she was slowly spinning even when she knew she was standing still. She blinked a few times. Her eyesight seemed to be turning red. There was something warm running down her nose. She already knew it was blood.

Vegeta walked in the room a moment later. Bulma turned her head to look at him. She blinked a few times and her vision cleared a bit as the tears finally spilled over. They were strangely warm and Vegeta was looking at her with a horrified expression. Bulma touched her cheek and then looked at her hand. The  _tears_  were blood.

"Well, that's new," she murmured right before she passed out.

The prince caught her before she hit the floor. He checked her pulse to see it was probably way too fast.  _Stupid woman_. He picked her up and put her on the bed. If that's what using that power did, he never wanted to see it again.  _And that wasn't even organic matter._

* * *

Juu stared at the speaker. All she could hear now was the faint hiss of nothing. Vegeta had ended the call without much room for rebuttal. He wanted to mobilize. He wanted to mobilize and he wanted it done as soon as possible. When she had tried to ask him about how he planned on getting away from Frieza, he had said not to worry.

"How can I not worry? One doesn't just  _quit_  on Frieza," Juu mumbled to herself. She turned the radio off and massaged her temples. She had no choice but to alert the remaining bases. There were at least 10 left across the galaxy. She needed to get in touch with them and tell them to move on Frieza's most important bases. Then she needed to get in touch with the other Saiyans.

There was so much to do in such a short amount of time.

* * *

"Vegeta has returned from his mission, Lord Frieza."

"Good. Tell him to see me in observation room five. Bulma should come with him.”

* * *

The moment they stepped off the ship and into the hangar, Bulma felt a sense of dread come over her. Something terrible was about to happen. She looked ahead of her at Vegeta. He had been a little distant from her since they had left Duggar. She figured he was still mad at her for putting her life at risk like she had. That was the reason she had rushed off when they had landed; so he would not see what happened to her after using her powers like that.

 _The bloody tears had been new, though. A nosebleed is one thing, but bleeding from my eyes is quite another_ , she mused.  _I wonder what Frieza wants. Observation deck five... That's where that machine is. He wants me to use it again so soon?_

As expected, Frieza was waiting for them, but so was his little mad scientist. Tintissi gave both Bulma and Vegeta the creeps. The little red alien did not look like her usual placid self, though. She looked... angry. The expression was weird for someone who usually appeared so pleasant, even if she was a mite crazy.

"I don't have a lot of patience today, so I'll get right to the point. Bulma, I need you to get in that machine again. Vegeta, Tintissi needs to have a word with you before you leave," Frieza said. He sounded exasperated.

Vegeta knew that tone. Frieza was unsure of something. When he was not 100% confident in something, he grew irritated. The tyrant was incredibly easy to read if you got past the fact that he could kill you with a flick of his wrist.

 _She knows about your chip_ , Bulma's voice entered his mind. Vegeta looked over at her and saw that she had moved towards the PRA. He saw the trepidation on her face.  _What do we do, Vegeta? She can't find out it's been rendered useless_.

 _Quiet, woman. I'll think of something. Focus on what you're doing_ , Vegeta snapped at her. Bulma nodded slowly and began to undress.

Bulma faced Tintissi and the alien went through the same routine of attaching the electrodes to her body. She was a lot less gentle than she had been the first time, though. Bulma stared at her. Her thoughts were a mess. Tintissi did not like failure and she refused to believe Vegeta's chip was failing. However, she did sound excited about cutting his head open... again. Bulma flinched when a metal arm stuffed the breathing tube up her nose. Then Tintissi waved her off, rudely instructing her to get in the tube. Bulma narrowed her eyes but did as she was told. She stole one last glance at Vegeta. He stood there, looking completely unbothered. Bulma knew he was anything but.

* * *

_"Mama!"_

_Bulma's eyes widened in horror. She looked around her. She was in an unfamiliar place with a dusty red terrain. The voice was familiar. She knew whose it was. But why..._

_"Mama! Mama, here I am!"_

_Bulma turned around. Before her stood her little girl. How was she here? How was she interacting with Bulma? Bulma had only ever seen things from an outside point-of-view. She had only ever been an unseen spectator. No one had ever known she was there._

_"How..."_

_"Mama, are you sleeping too? When are you coming to see..."_

_"What are you doing? Why are you here? How did you get here?" Bulma was frantic. She had no idea if Frieza was seeing this or not._

_Okura appeared confused. "I'm asleep, Mama. I was watching..."_

_"Wake up, little flower." Bulma had to keep her from mentioning her brother or who she was with. She turned her back on Okura and attempted to push the child from her mind. She could hear Okura calling out to her some more. Her voice grew more and more distant until light came out of nowhere, blinding Bulma_.

* * *

Tintissi gave a little yelp as the glass of the PRA broke. The fluid poured out everywhere. Bulma fell out of the tube and onto the cold floor. The scientist turned and looked at Frieza. The little horned alien appeared absolutely livid. It was him who had broken the glass with a small burst of his ki. Tintissi looked down at Bulma, who was regaining her composure.

Bulma had barely realized that she had fallen out of the PRA and was sitting on glass. The prickly feeling had just registered when Frieza's tail wrapped itself around her neck and dragged her forward. She hissed at the feeling of the shards cutting through her skin. When she was close enough to him, Frieza released her. "What are you..." Bulma was silenced by a slap that sent her into the floor, knocking her dizzy momentarily and the breathing tube flew out of her nose.

"You little whore!" Frieza yelled at her. Again, he used his tail to bring her closer. "Who gave you permission to breed?"

"What? I haven't..." Bulma's head snapped to the left when Frieza slapped her again. His tail did not released her and she just blinked a few times.

"You dare lie to me? Who was the little runt who called you  _mama_ , then? A figment of your vivid imagination?"

"Maybe," Bulma whispered.

"Lies!" Frieza threw her back and she landed in the glass. He watched her wince and try to sit up. "Who have you been rutting with?"

In that moment, Bulma had never been so happy that Okura looked almost exactly like her and did not have a tail. If Trunks had appeared instead, then it would have been no question who the father was. Trunks was basically Vegeta with lavender hair and blue eyes. They even had the same complexion. Bulma looked up at Frieza. She was seeing at least 3 of him. "A girl doesn't kiss and tell, Frieza," she said with a wry smile.

 _Do not goad him, woman!_  Vegeta practically yelled in her mind.

 _I'm not giving up anything about my... **our**  children, Vegeta. He'll kill me before I do that_, Bulma responded. She did not dare look over at him, lest she give Frieza the impression that Vegeta was the father. Vegeta squeezed his fists against his side as he watched Frieza stalk over to her. He grabbed Bulma by her hair and pulled her to her feet. She could feel Vegeta's restlessness and anxiety.  _Don't do anything, Vegeta_.

"Have you forgotten that you are my bitch to do with as I please?" he hissed at her. "You wear my collar. You do not fuck without my permission. You do not breed without my permission."

"It's a little late for that, Frieza," Bulma said with a snort.

Frieza's face went blank. He released Bulma and she crumpled to the floor. "If you want to relish in being a common whore, then you'll be treated like one. Dodoria!" Frieza looked at his lackey. "I know you've had your eye on her for years. Here's your chance."

"Here, my lord?" Dodoria asked.

Frieza appeared thoughtful for a moment. He hopped back in his floating chair. "No. I'd rather not see how you copulate. The thought alone makes me queasy. Take her out of here." He waved him off.

"All the way back to my quarters?"

"I don't care if you do it in the broom closet down the hall. Just don't do it in my face."

Bulma's eyes widened. She watched the spiky pink blob walk towards her. She got up on her hands and started to scoot back. Dodoria laughed and grabbed her foot. He tugged her forward. Bulma picked up a shard and leaned up. She stabbed Dodoria's hand so hard that the shard went through his hand and cut into her foot.

"Ah! You bitch!" Dodoria let her go and looked at his hand. He stepped forward and over Bulma. She stopped squirming just as he slapped her, leaving a bloody handprint.

Frieza chuckled. "Careful, Dodoria. She's a feisty one." He watched the two continue to struggle. "Dodoria, she barely has enough strength to kill a fly. You're a master of torture. Get creative."

Dodoria looked back at his master. Bulma took the opportunity to try and get away from him. What Frieza said seemed to click and he grabbed her before she could get from under him. He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her over his left shoulder. Bulma kicked and screamed for him to release her but her cries went unheard.

Vegeta avoided looking at Bulma as Dodoria passed. He could feel her fear as well as her resignation to the situation. As the door shut, he noticed Frieza was calling to him. He turned his attention back to the overlord. "What?"

"I'm sorry you had to witness that. But this is something I should've done long ago. She's always given me so much trouble. Now to know she has a little runt out there somewhere..." Frieza narrowed his eyes at Vegeta. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

The prince crossed his arms across his chest. "Why would I know anything about her?"

"You found her on Namek and didn't come across that brat?"

"No. She was brought to me."

While Frieza was questioning Vegeta, Tintissi was watching him intently. He did not seem any different than he had before. He was still cold and detached. He had not flinched at any of Frieza's actions thus far. She would not be able to tell if her chip was malfunctioning or not until she ran a diagnostic. But for all intents and purposes, Vegeta seemed no different than he had since coming under her control.

_Or he's just an extremely good actor. But why would he hold up a charade? What purpose would such a thing serve?_

"Anyway, I'm traveling to that planet in a few days. I would like you to accompany me since you've seen the terrain and know what to expect. You're free to do as you please until then." Frieza seemed to remember Tintissi's presence. "Oh, did you need anything from him?"

Tintissi's gaze lingered on Vegeta for another moment. His eyes met hers. Not many things could make her flinch, but the coldness in Vegeta's gaze gave her pause. She shook her head. "No, my lord. I think I've seen all I need."

"Very well. You're free to go, Vegeta."

Vegeta nodded and left the room.

Zarbon cleared his throat. "Is it wise to bring Vegeta along, my lord?"

Frieza snorted. "You're always so wary of him these days, Zarbon. Are you afraid he'll take your place?"

"No, my lord. It's just..."

"Vegeta is still under my control. And if he ever chooses to rebel, there are ways to nip it in the bud. Don't worry your pretty little head over that monkey." Frieza tapped his finger on the side of his chair. "What is taking that pink oaf so long?"

* * *

While Dodoria had not taken Bulma all the way back to his own quarters, he had made sure to find a place on the same floor that was secluded enough for his liking. He put Bulma down and pushed her against the wall. Before she could fight him off, his hand clamped over her mouth and slammed her head against the metal wall. She looked at his ugly face through teary eyes.

"If you don't quiet down, I'm sure I can find something to quiet you down with," he said. He winced when he felt teeth sink into the palm of his hand. He let Bulma go and looked down at his hand. She'd taken a chunk clean out of his palm. Bulma spat the pink flesh out at his feet. "Defiant til the end, I see." Dodoria grabbed her by her hair and turned her around.

Bulma's head hit the wall so hard that she nearly lost consciousness. She shook off her dizziness and continued to fight to get out of his grasp. She was going to prolong this as long as possible. Dodoria pushed his weight against her, sandwiching her between him and the wall. It dawned on her just how smelly Dodoria was.

 _What an odd thing to notice at this point in time_ , Bulma thought deprecatingly. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Something warm splattered all over her back. She opened her eyes and saw blood all around her head. Dodoria's weight was lifted off of her. Bulma looked down and saw what was left of his body down on the floor. She did not have time to wonder what was going on before she was swept up into strong arms.

"Vegeta... What..."

"Hush, woman." His tone left no room for argument. Vegeta moved as fast as he could through the hallways of the base. His aura knocked people out of his way and into the walls. He knew it would not be long before the order was given to capture them. He did not care if he was captured, but Bulma had to get off the planet immediately.

"I'm not leaving without you," Bulma whispered. Vegeta could hear that she was close to losing consciousness. Yet, she was still reading his mind. "You know I can't turn you off like this."

"Quiet, woman," Vegeta said as he came to the hangar. She was right, though. She needed someone to take care of all the injuries she had.

Bulma took note of how quiet the usually bustling hangar seemed. She opened an eye and saw that Vegeta had clearly already been here, if the dead bodies and sabotaged ships were anything to go by. How had he done all of this so fast? She closed her eyes again as Vegeta ran into a ship he'd already prepared for them. She felt him put her down on something soft. Then he was gone away from her.

Vegeta cursed, searching around the control board of the ship. He found what he was looking for and punched his hand into the board. He grabbed something beneath it and yanked it out. Bulma jumped at the sparks that flew about. Vegeta left her sight for a moment. When he returned, he set the ship into motion.

Zarbon ran into the hangar just in time to see the ship fly off. He knew he could not fire anything after it.  _Doesn't matter. All Frieza's ships have tracking devices. I'll just_... He looked down to where the ship had been. The broken tracking device was laying on the ground.  _Fuck_. He visibly jumped when he heard footsteps behind him.

Frieza walked into the hangar and surveyed the damage. Even his flagship had been damaged. He saw the broken tracking device and smirked. "I am most impressed," he said blandly.

"My lord? Do you want me to go after them?"

"Hm? No. That would be a waste of time. Once I go to Namek and get what I want, I'll have plenty of time to catch those two. Come along, Zarbon. We have work to do." Frieza turned and left the bloody hangar. "And get someone to clean up this mess!"

* * *

Vegeta put the ship on autopilot and looked over at Bulma. She looked like she had fallen asleep. He leaned forward and took hold of her chin. As he held her head up, her eyes fluttered open. Or at least one of them did. Her left eye was swollen shut. He could see bruises had started to form all over her body along with the various cuts and lacerations from all the glass she had been dragged through. There was also the matter of her foot.

"I can't believe you stabbed yourself in the foot," Vegeta mumbled.

Bulma chuckled. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her. "There's no tank on this heap."

"I'm mostly just bruised, Vegeta. Surprisingly, nothing is broken."

"That's not the point, woman." Vegeta reached forward and picked her up. He heard her wince and tried not to jostle her too much. He carried her to the small bathroom on the ship. The small shower had a little bench that she could sit on. He let her down and turned on the water. "Wash that stuff off of you," he said. Bulma nodded.

A few minutes later, Vegeta returned to see Bulma dozing on the bench. Without that fluid all over her, she was paler than Vegeta had thought. Blue and black splotches were all over her as well as the cuts. He picked her up. He carried her to medical bay on the ship and sat her on the little cot. Bulma leaned back against the wall and watched him move about the tiny room, gathering supplies to dress her wounds with. He came and sat in front of her.

Bulma remained quiet while Vegeta cleaned and dressed her wounds. She had an incredibly bad headache and felt her consciousness beginning to slip again. She was pulled from her dozing state when she felt something cold in her hand. She looked down and saw it was a coldpack. Sighing, she placed it over her swollen eye. Vegeta was trying to keep her awake. For the first time, she really looked around at her surroundings.

"This is a really small ship, Vegeta," she said.

"I did not really have time to prep a bigger ship. We'll have to stop somewhere to resupply in a few days," Vegeta responded.

"But..."

"Frieza is not concerned with us at the moment. If we're reported, by the time he gets someone to follow us, we'll be long gone. He's more concerned with getting to Namek right now."

Bulma lowered the ice pack. "Vegeta, we can't let him make that wish."

The prince shrugged. "There's nothing we really can do about it now, woman." He looked her over. "Did Dodoria... Did he..."

"No." Bulma closed her eyes and put the icepack over her swollen eye. "You showed up before he could do anything. All he got to do was keep knocking me around."

"I'm surprised you didn't splatter him yourself." Vegeta got up and went to retrieve some clothes for her.

Bulma was silent for a long time. It was not until Vegeta helped her into some clothing that she spoke again. "I couldn't concentrate. I was too scared and my mind was already tired. I've only been that scared once before. No one came to save me that time. It was like reverting back to the person I was back then." The last sentence came out as a whisper, but Vegeta heard it.

"How did the brat contact you?"

"I don't know. That machine magnifies my abilities. Maybe Okura could sense me."

"From clear across the galaxy?"

"Even I don't know how strong she is, Vegeta. She is not growing up with her abilities limited like I did." Bulma sighed. "I just want to sleep," she whispered. Vegeta stared at her for a few moments before picking her up. He carried her to the small bunk and laid her on the bed. Bulma was already asleep. Vegeta watched her for a moment and then left, closing the door behind him. He was almost certain she had a concussion and he would need to wake her every half hour.

The prince went back to the cockpit of the ship. It was just a small trade ship; not used for anything than transporting small goods. It only had enough fuel to get them where he planned on stopping. He would be able to make a secure call from the planet. The radio on the ship was unable to make secure calls. Vegeta blinked a few times and remembered the contacts he had in. They would no longer be of any use now that Frieza knew he was not under his control. He quickly did away with them and tossed them over his shoulder. Hopefully, he would be rejoining his kin soon.

 _But what about Frieza_...

* * *

 _Planet coordinates unknown. Possible destruction_.

Tarble frowned at the computer screen. Finding this mysterious planet  _Sadala_  had proven to be difficult. He'd been trying to find it for almost 6 years to no avail. All information had either been destroyed or redacted. The youngest prince did not believe for a moment that it had been destroyed or purged. Someone was hiding this information for a reason.

The computer began beeping and a message prompt for a new message popped up on the screen. Tarble opened it. Bulma and Vegeta's pictures popped up. They were listed on the most wanted list. Again. This was a surprise. He powered the computer down and headed for the training area of the colony.

The colonists avoided the Saiyans for the most part. Tarble had recognized a few of them from their time on the Ark years before. There had been a sense of wariness but it had faded over the few weeks they'd been at the colony. When Tarble found his kin, he saw his twin sparring with Kakarrot. That was odd, considering she sparred with Raditz most of the time.

"Bulma and Vegeta are on the run again," he said loudly. Everyone looked in his direction and he shrugged. "An alert just went out for their capture."

"So they'll be heading here?" Kakarrot asked.

Tarble shrugged. "They don't know we're here."

"Well how..."

"We have that covered," a foreign voice entered the conversation. Tarble turned around to see Juu approaching with Krillyn. "We have people stationed at nearly every place they could stop. Vegeta will most likely attempt to contact us from there. When he does, we'll be ready."

"Yeah. You guys don't need to worry."

Kinomi scoffed. "We're not worried. How long will it take them to get here?"

"It depends on where they're coming from. The soonest they would be here is a month coming from Planet 12." Juu noticed the children that were standing behind Nappa. She had already known about Gohan but there were 3 new ones she had never seen before. It did not take much to figure out whose they were. "When did Bulma have children?"

Kakarrot looked over at the kids. "Well, uh, almost four years ago now."

"And Vegeta knows about them?"

"Of course he does."

"What about the baby?"

"That runt is Kakarrot's too. Can't you tell by the hair and vacant but goofy expression? Just two months old and already getting into things. Tries to eat everything in sight like his sire," Turles said.

Juu nearly laughed. "When we hear anything from Vegeta, we'll let you know. Until..." She turned and left with Krillyn following her.

Chichi was coming as Juu was going. She gave the blonde a curt nod before continuing on to the others. She saw what her baby was trying to do and walked over to him. "Kakarrot, I told you to watch Goten. You know he thinks everything goes in his mouth."

"Sorry, Chichi. We just got some news about Vegeta." Kakarrot watched her pick Goten up and pull his foot from his mouth. "They got away from Frieza and are possibly on their way here."

Chichi nodded. "Maybe this time we can stay together and finish this thing. I don't know about you all but I'm tired of being on the run. Come along. Dinner is ready."

* * *

Vegeta stopped on a planet called Caprini. It was a trade hub that was under Frieza's control. The prince knew it to be one of the hubs the resistance had a significant presence in right under Frieza's nose. He would not take him long to find someone to help him. In fact, it took him almost no time at all. As soon as he docked the ship in a hangar, a familiar orange-haired figure was waiting for him as the gate to his ship opened.

"Long time, no see, Prince Vegeta," Zangya said. She was flanked by two of her brothers, Bido and Kogu. Vegeta crossed his arms and gave a small nod in her direction. "The report that went out on you said what you'd be traveling in. We've prepared a new ship for you. One that is... better suited to your needs as well."

The prince nodded. "Good. I need to place a call," he said.

Zangya nodded. "Bido and Kogu will take you to make the call. Their presence should ward off anyone looking for a fight. Is your better half with you?" She chuckled when she noticed the strange look that came over Vegeta's face. "Bulma. Is she with you?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "The woman is on the ship. She sustained some injuries."

"Very well. I will escort her to the new ship. There is a tank on it. It's one of the older models, but it should get the job done anyway. Go with these two." She motioned towards her brothers. Vegeta gave her another nod and walked around her. Zangya watched the leave before boarding the ship to seek out Bulma.

* * *

Bulma's eyes fluttered open. There was a foreign presence on the ship. She sat up on the bed and picked up the weapon Vegeta had left for her. When the door to the room slid open, she pointed immediately at the intruder. She almost pulled the trigger until she noticed the orange hair. She remembered this woman.  _What was her name?_

"I'm here to take you to your new ship. The prince went with my brothers to make a call," Zangya said. Bulma did not lower the weapon and kept it steady. Zangya rolled her eyes. "Don't you remember me? We met on Planet One. I showed you to your rooms on the Ark. Zangya."

Bulma nodded, slowly lowering the gun. She kept it in her hand while getting up, though. She followed Zangya out of the ship, limping as she did so. Zangya walked beside her through the crowded dock. They came to a much bigger and better ship and Zangya gestured for her to enter. Bulma went up the sloped gate. Zangya came up behind her, making sure no one was following them.

"Vegeta told me you are injured and from that walk, I'd say quite so." Zangya looked at Bulma's bandaged foot. Her bruises were covered by her clothing but her face still had the remnants of her trying ordeal with Frieza and Dodoria. "There's a tank on this ship. It's old, but it works all the same. Follow me."

The two women went into the ship's medical bay, which was significantly larger than the one on the trade ship. A tank sat in the far corner. Zangya opened it and turned it on. Bulma got inside, not bothering to take her clothes off. She was done being naked in front of other people for a long while. A question came to her while Zangya set up the tank.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"On a colony. I am unsure of which colony, though. Vegeta should have that information when he comes back from his call."

"Oh." Bulma picked up the oxygen mask. Before she put it on, she looked back at Zangya. "Will you be traveling with us?"

Zangya snorted and shook her head. "Nope. My job is to take control of this hub once the word is given. That should be soon. Apparently, we are getting close to taking our resistance live," she answered with a smile. "You just rest. By the time you wake up, you'll already be on your way." She turned on the machine. The glass closed and Bulma put the mask on.

* * *

Vegeta was not surprised by the looks he got from the people in the city. It only confirmed that many were looking out for him. He could handle them himself if necessary, but the added intimidation factor of Bido and Kogu was enough to keep people far away. They brought him to an old communication center. Vegeta went into one of the booths and they stood outside as his guards. It took him a few minutes to make sure the call was secure. Then he dialed in Juu's frequency.

She picked up sooner than he expected. " _Blue_?"

"Happy to hear from me?"

" _I'd be happier to see you. Where are you calling from_?"

"Caprini."

" _So you met with Zangya and her brothers. Several places would have welcomed you. I'll put out the word that you've been assisted. Why are you on the run now?_ "

Vegeta cleared his throat. "Through an unfortunate series of events, Frieza found out about one of my brats, the woman refused to tell him about them, one thing led to another, and here we are."

" _I see_."

"Where do I meet with the others?"

" _A colony on Xerena. It should take about two weeks from Caprini_."

"Good." Vegeta paused for a long moment. "Frieza is on his way to Namek," he said.

Juu was quiet for a long time in response. " _He's going to make that wish. What do we do? If he's immortal then..._ "

"First, we'll work on taking down his empire. Leave him up to me and the others."

" _You can't take him alone. That's suicide_ ," she said.

"Maybe not. I have a task for Tarble. Tell him to hack Frieza's ship. Slow him down."

" _If you say so_."

"I do." Vegeta ended the call without a goodbye. When he stepped outside the booth, he looked at the brothers. They nodded and began the trek back to the dock. They walked back in the same silence that they left in. When they got back to the new ship, Zangya was waiting for him outside. "What is it?"

"Bulma is in the tank. She'll need about two hours. Did you talk to Juu?" Zangya asked. Vegeta nodded. "Your ship is equipped enough to fly through most cosmic things; stars being the exception. If anything, that should keep you as hidden as possible. You can also hide from radar. You should be on your way now," she said. Vegeta nodded. He gave the other two a glance before disappearing inside the ship. Zangya and her brothers stepped back as the gate closed.

After the ship had taken off, Kogu sighed. "Can we take over this place yet?" he asked.

Zangya rolled her eyes and looked back at him. "Not yet. We haven't received the word from Juu. The whole point is a coordinated attack, you dolt. Now go get rid of their old ship."

Vegeta put in the coordinates for Xerena and placed the ship on autopilot once they were out of Caprini's atmosphere. He waited a moment before leaving the cockpit and going to the medical bay. The lights were off and there was only the green glow of the tank. Vegeta dragged the lone chair in the room right in front of the tank. He sat down and crossed his arms. Bulma's eyes were closed. From her vitals, she appeared to be asleep. He could already see some of the bruises on her face and neck were starting to fade. During their 3-day travel to Caprini she had clearly been in pain. She did a pathetic job of hiding it, though. Vegeta glanced at the time on the machine. She had 84 minutes left inside. He might as well catch a nap.


	28. Words

Vegeta stared at Bulma while she slept. They were on their final approach to Xerena, where he would find the other Saiyans. Bulma had been sleeping a lot more since their escape from Planet 12. When asked about it, she had given a halfhearted answer about needing to  _recharge her batteries_  since using her abilities on such a grand scale and so often was tiring. Vegeta was not sure if he should believe her, but even though she still slept a lot, it was becoming less and less by the day.

As for him, Vegeta was antsy. The ship was not large enough for him to do any proper training. So he settled for meditation most of the time. It was probably more beneficial for him since he had been training with his full power lately anyway. The better his control was over it, the better his body would acclimate to it. He would be able to better test his limits when he got to the colony.

At the present moment, Vegeta was trying to figure out what he would do with the woman before him. He'd forced the hand of the resistance by saving her. He thought about if he would let his own sister go through torture like that. Perhaps that was not a fair comparison. Kinomi was a soldier. She was aware of her duty. She was willing to make sacrifices. She was strong enough to handle it. But Bulma... She was delicate. Soft. Breakable.

 _She has survived Frieza all this time. She is hardly breakable_ , Vegeta mused. Still, it concerned Vegeta that there were sacrifices he was willing to make without a second thought when it came to Bulma. Bulma was willing as well, despite knowing what the consequences would do to her. She scolded him for even thinking about intervening. She had never outright told him, but Vegeta could figure out that she had gone through that type of heinous abuse before. It had been at a time where she was most mentally vulnerable. But she was perfectly willing to suffer through it again even if she fought the inevitable off until the bitter end. The only way Dodoria was going to have his way with her was if she had been unconscious.

It bothered him that these were almost  _subconscious_  choices Vegeta made rather than choices he put thought into. He had not realized that he was clearing out the hangar until he was halfway done. By then, he had to finish what he'd started. Finish it he did. Consciously, he would have probably let it happen and dealt with the aftermath. Either way, Dodoria would have paid with his life.

How Bulma was still sane amazed him sometimes. Though, occasionally she got a faraway look in her eyes. For a few moments, the light in her eyes would dim as if she vacated her present. Perhaps she was not as mentally strong as she presented herself to be. She had a breaking point. He'd seen it once when he had returned to her. Vegeta knew eventually it would happen again.

Vegeta knew he cared immensely for Bulma and probably more than he should. He'd accepted that years ago before they parted. It was not in the way he cared for his kin. It was deeper. It was frightening. It made him concerned that he was not fit to lead if he was so willing to divert from laid plans for her. Did her life mean more to him than Frieza's demise?

 _Her life will always be in danger as long as Frieza lives. They are intertwined_ , he thought.

The prince closed his eyes. It took a moment, but he severed the connection he had with Bulma. He could not have her in his head any longer. He could not allow her voice to stop him. He needed his actions to be solely dictated by himself now. He opened his eyes. Bulma had turned over on her side but had not awakened. He got to his feet and left the room silently. When he got to the cockpit, he could see they were very close to Xerena. The planet appeared as uninviting as he thought it would. Taking a deep breath, he began to navigate through the heavy atmosphere.

* * *

Kakarrot turned his head and smiled. "Vegeta's here!" The moment he'd said it, Turles hit him right in the face. "Ow!"

"You shouldn't just stop fighting! It's your own damn fault," Turles said with a snort. He dropped to the floor of what they called a  _gym_  in the colony. "Do we go meet him or stay here?" His question was answered with the younger twins ran past him holding the little twins.

"I guess we're going," Kakarrot said, rubbing his jaw.

* * *

The ship docking shook Bulma awake. She sat up, disoriented and confused. She did not remember even going to the bunk to sleep.  _I fell asleep in the cockpit. Vegeta must've carried me here_ , she thought. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Her body and mind was still so fatigued. If it was not for Vegeta waking her to eat, she probably would have slept for the entire duration of the trip.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and looked around for her boots, ignoring the strange empty sensation she felt. If the ship had docked, that meant they had arrived at their location. Before falling asleep, she remembered Vegeta saying they had about 8 hours left. Bulma shook her head. She'd slept a third of a standard day away. Yawning again, she left the room and headed towards the back of the ship. The ramp had already been lowered. Bulma smiled when she heard the voices just outside. As soon as she stepped off the ramp she heard footsteps heading for her.

"Mama!"

Bulma kneeled and held her arms open. Trunks flew into her and her eyes widened. She flew back into the ramp as he clung to her. Trying to hide her wince, she looked down at the head of lavender hair in her lap. "Hello, Trunks." She noticed he was shaking. "Trunks, what's wrong?" she asked. There were a few sniffles and Bulma smiled. She stroked his hair softly and looked up. Okura was standing a little ways away from them. Bulma held out her arm and the little girl came to her.

Kakarrot chuckled at the sight. "Told you Trunks was getting better at sensing ki," he said to Vegeta.

"Too bad his attention span hasn't followed suit," the prince grumbled.

"I think that was more a case of wanting to see his mother rather than his attention span running short, Vegeta. He's still a kid."

Vegeta sighed. "He's far too attached to her. I was not nearly as attached to my mother."

"You're not attached to anyone, Geta," Tarble said.

The eldest prince did not respond to that assertion immediately. After a few seconds, he grunted halfheartedly. "Don't call me that. Where are they keeping us?" Vegeta turned away from his children while they talked with their mother.

Bulma watched as the others started to leave. She got to her feet and took the twins' hands. "Why don't you two be my little tour guides? Show me where you sleep and play at," she said. The twins nodded and pulled their mother along happily.

* * *

Vegeta was impressed with the accommodations of the colony. The only thing they did not have was a training room with a gravity simulator. Otherwise, the space they did have for training was adequate enough. He was still inspecting the area when he heard the door open and shut behind him. He already knew who it was without looking.

"You cut our connection."

"It was necessary."

Bulma frowned at the short answer that really answered nothing at all. "Why?"

"It's distracting. I don't need you to be in my head anymore," he said.

"So you were just going to sever it without telling me?"

"It does not appear that I needed to."

Bulma sighed out her frustration and crossed her arms. "What is your problem? Why have you been acting like this?" she asked.

"Acting like what, woman?"

"Like... this!" She stalked over to him and poked him in the shoulder hard. Vegeta's eyes widened when he was forced to turn to face her. There was that strange burst of strength she got every now and then. The same burst of power that left him feeling drained. "You've been avoiding me since we got off the ship. You barely paid Trunks and Okura any attention. They are your children, in case you've forgotten. What's gotten into you?"

"You!" Vegeta yelled back at her. Bulma took a step back, looking aghast. Before she could ask any more questions, he stepped up to her, backing her into the wall. "You have invaded every aspect of how I operate. I am always making foolish decisions because of you."

Bulma stared at him, wide eyed. "What are you talking about, Vegeta?"

"I've forced our hand too early. Frieza is on his way to getting his immortality and what happens when he does? How are we supposed to defeat someone who can't fucking die? If you'd never..." Vegeta shook his head and turned away from her.

Bulma remained quiet for a second as she took in his words. "I did not ask you to save me, Vegeta! I was... fine with what was about to happen to me! I've always told you not to worry about me! You aren't going to put that on me!"

Vegeta rounded on her and stalked up to her again. "Don't you think I know that? But I can't just... ignore you! Not when I can feel everything as if it's happening to me!" He took a deep breath.

"So you'd rather not care what happens to me?"

"That isn't what I said."

"Then what the hell are you saying? Make it clear to me, Vegeta!"

"You're a damn distraction! You and those brats are attachments that I can't afford to have! You've been nothing but a fucking distraction since I met you! I don't need that in my life! I don't need you!"

Outside the room, the eavesdroppers all winced at Vegeta's words. They waited silently to see what Bulma's response to them would be but it never came. All they heard was silence. Then there was the sound of footsteps. They scrambled to get away from the door but were not fast enough. The door opened and Bulma stood there. She stood there and waited for them to clear her way. Then she stalked past them without a word. Chichi watched Bulma walk away. A frown came over her face and she turned to go in the training room.

Vegeta was so lost in thought that he did not sense or hear Chichi walking up behind him. By the time it registered that she was coming, he turned around only to have her plant her fist right into his face. He stumbled back into the wall, now holding his bleeding nose. He glared at her and she met his gaze with just as much ferocity.

"Since she probably would've crushed her hand doing it, that was for Bulma." She turned on her heel and walked out of the room without waiting for a response from him. The door slammed behind her.

The prince frowned and slid down to the floor. He took a deep breath through his mouth and set his broken nose back into place. He told himself what he had done was necessary. He needed to focus. Still, he had regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. But he was not going to back down from this. This was the only way he could win.

* * *

"So he will get those orbs?" Juu asked.

"Most likely. We're too far away from Namek to do anything about it now," Kakarrot said. Juu and Krillyn had come to see Vegeta and Bulma not too long after their arrival. "Frieza will probably get his immortality."

"Then where that does that leave us?" Krillyn asked.

Tarble cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. "I don't think Frieza has arrived there yet. I've been tracking his flagship and it is still in space. The flagship does not move as fast as the pods do. Remember? At best he has another week or so left before getting there."

"That still doesn't mean anything," Juu said.

"Yes it does. I can further slow him down by rerouting his ships."

"None of this matters anyway." A new voice entered the conversation. Everyone turned to see Kinomi leaning against the wall. "The Grand Elder used those balls already. They take half about half a standard year to recharge. Until then, they're big stone balls with no power. Completely useless to anyone who can find them."

Juu raised a thin eyebrow. "So Frieza can't make his wish? He could massacre all the Namekians in his anger."

Kinomi shook her head. "Besides needing all seven balls, Frieza can't kill the Namekians if he wants to use them. They only work with their language and they're tied to their lives. The Grand Elder did not tell me all of the specifics. But if Frieza wants his wishes then he has to play nice with them."

"But now we have to go back to that godforsaken planet," Raditz said.

"That seems to be it. We only left to delay him. He would come looking for us regardless. With the other bases ready to be taken down, we only have Frieza left."

"I'm ordering the attacks on the bases tomorrow. Tarble, do what you need to do in order to slow Frieza down. I suppose you all will be needing a ship to return on." Juu glanced around the room. Her eyes rested on Vegeta, who was standing in a corner off to the side. "Where's Bulma?"

Chichi narrowed her eyes. "That's an excellent question."

* * *

Back on Caprini, Zangya read the incoming transmission. A smile came to her face and she turned to face her brothers.

"What is it?" Bojack asked.

"It's time to have a little fun."

* * *

Bulma was sitting alone on an observation deck. There was not much to look out outside of the large window. The planet was covered in snow and the storms were never ending. All she saw was a sea of white. It reminded her of one of the planets that Frieza's family hailed from. She shivered at the thought of them. The end of this struggle was coming soon. Bulma just hoped they came out on top.

"Mama?" Bulma turned her head to see Trunks walking up beside her. Bulma held her hands out. He came closer to her and climbed into her arms. Bulma looked at him. He had a bruised cheek and split lip. She frowned.

"What happened, Trunks?" she asked.

Trunks shrugged. "I was sparring with Nappa."

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Did you hit him back?"

The little boy nodded enthusiastically. "I got him in the nose! Then he got me. He said I can't," he paused as if trying to recall what was said, " _guard my let down_?"

" _Let your guard down_. He's right. You can't stop just because you hit your enemy," Bulma said, running a hand through his hair. "Your enemy won't wait for you to celebrate your accomplishment."

"But Nappa isn't the bad guy," Trunks said with a pout.

Bulma nodded. "Maybe not. Think of him as an opponent that you want to beat. You want to win, right?" she asked. Trunks nodded enthusiastically. "One day you will. Now I'm sure Chichi has prepared dinner. Go on." She released him from her hold and he ran off. Bulma watched him all the way to the door of the deck. She was surprised to see Nappa standing there. The big man tapped Trunks on the head as he passed him. Then he looked in Bulma's direction. Bulma sighed and turned her attention back to the giant window.

Nappa stared at the small woman on the deck chair. He never liked being alone with Bulma. Even after all this time he was still wary of her abilities. It confused him because he did not have half the apprehension dealing with Okura's abilities. They were basically the same as Bulma's, if not a little unrefined. Perhaps it was because the child was still half-Saiyan. Shaking off those thoughts, he began approaching the younger woman whom, despite being a mother, he still saw as a child.

Bulma heard Nappa come to stand beside her. He just stood there in silence, not saying anything. She knew the man did not like her and damn sure did not like being left alone with her.  _So why is he here?_

10 minutes must have passed before the silence was broken between the two. Surprisingly, it was Nappa who spoke first.

"You are avoiding him," he said plainly.

Bulma snorted. "Didn't you hear? I am a distraction. Clearly my presence is unwanted. I am simply respecting  _his highness'_  wishes," she said bitterly.

Nappa was surprised by the biting tone she took with him. She still had not looked up at him. She kept her eyes trained on the window. "So you will isolate yourself from the rest of us?"

"Nappa, you don't even like me. Shouldn't it make you happy that  _the witch_  is out of your nonexistent hair?" Bulma sighed. She was not mad at Nappa. She should not take her frustration out on him. She remained silent for a long moment, but Nappa stayed by her side. "Have you ever had your heart broken, Nappa?"

Nappa looked down at Bulma. Though he had not spent much time around her since she had arrived on the base, he had seen her get that hazy, faraway look in her eyes. He recognized that look. He had been fighting longer than she had been alive and recognized someone suffering from trauma. What had gone on while she was away?

"I can't say that I have. How can a heart break?"

Bulma scoffed. "It's only a figure of speech meant to express great sadness because of losing someone or something you care deeply about. Maybe it was called something else in Saiyan culture. But in mine, it was called heartbreak." She paused for a moment. "I suppose the closest I can describe it for you is that feeling you had when you found out your home planet was destroyed." Unethical as she found it, she needed to get her point across to Nappa. The only way to do that had been to comb through his memories.

Nappa had the sneaking suspicion that she had just read his mind. He decided against addressing it and focused on what she was saying. "So a feeling of great despair."

"Yes. But did you feel it, Nappa? When you found out, did you feel it here?" Bulma placed a hand on her chest, right over her heart. "I used to think having your heart broken was just an expression to describe such despair. It couldn't possibly mean you actually feel your heart shattering into a million pieces."

The big man raised an eyebrow. "You are experiencing heartbreak?"

Bulma sniffed and rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand. "I'm not really sure. Maybe it was just hard hearing someone you... care about say you are a burden. Maybe I'm just being silly and selfish."

Another long moment of silence passed between them. "You do know he is lying to himself, right? The prince has never been good at expressing how he truly feels," Nappa said quietly. If there was anything he knew about Vegeta, it was definitely that he had quite a time processing emotions. Most Saiyans filed them away to deal with later but Vegeta just tried to avoid addressing them altogether.

"Even so," Bulma finally looked up at him, "words can hurt."

* * *

The soldier stood in front of Frieza, quaking in fear as the overlord read a message from the base on Frieza Planet 12. When he was done, he incinerated the message with a small burst of ki. Then he turned his sights on the messenger. The soldier took a hesitant step back. Feeling uncharacteristically merciful, Frieza waved him off. The soldier wasted no time in scurrying out of the room.

"Is something wrong, my lord?" Zarbon asked.

Frieza tapped a finger on the side of his chair. "It would appear that we have a multiple uprisings happening on my bases." He cut his eyes to Zarbon. "I thought these rebels were taken care of once we destroyed their hideouts. They're like rodents. They won't just die no matter how much poison I leave for them to devour."

Zarbon cleared his throat. "The only way I can see that being possible is that we had rebels in our ranks. They were hiding in plain sight, just waiting for you to be busy and unsuspecting."

The overlord glared at Zarbon. "Thank you for that summary, Zarbon. When will we arrive on that blasted planet? I feel as though we have been traveling forever," Frieza said.

"It should not be too much longer, my lord."

Frieza sighed and rested his chin in his hand. "I could probably get there faster on my own." He saw Zarbon look at him strangely and chuckled. "Come now, Zarbon. Surely you have not forgotten that the vacuum of space is not a problem for me."

"That's not it, my lord. Do you think it wise to travel alone? Especially with so much going on? We have no idea what these Namekians can do. I am only looking out for your wellbeing."

"Zarbon, if Vegeta could handle them with ease then they are not nearly a match for me." Frieza's expression changed as he thought of Vegeta. "However, I am unsure of Vegeta's true power anymore. Let alone how he overcame Tintissi's chip. That stupid Saiyan has been nothing but a thorn in my side. I'm starting to think I should've killed all of them off when I had the chance," Frieza mused aloud.

Zarbon mentally nodded, knowing better than to agree with that assessment verbally. "But what are you going to do about the Saiyans now?"

Frieza smirked. "If I know my dear monkey well, he will come to me. He's much too prideful to spend his life running from persecution. All I need to do is wait."

* * *

_"Still asleep, I see."_

_Bulma's eyes opened. She turned around, searching for the source of the voice. Soon she came face to face with an old woman sitting on a floating glass sphere. "Who are you?" Bulma asked without preamble._

_"I'm Baba."_

_"Baba?" Bulma looked away from the strange pink-haired woman. They were in nothing but a black void. "Where am I?"_

_Baba glanced around. "I am most curious about that as well, Bulma. I have eavesdropped on many of your mental vacations and this is the first time that I have ever encountered this particular place. It is one of your doing, though."_

_Bulma looked back at the old woman. "Eavesdropped? How are you even in my mind? Why did you say I was asleep?"_

_"Because you are." Baba motioned down to her glass sphere. Bulma saw an image of herself appear. She was indeed asleep. She squinted at the image. There was a figure in front of her that she could not make out. She leaned closer but the image disappeared. "Not so fast, young one. Wouldn't you like to know why I'm here?"_

_The younger woman narrowed her blue eyes. "Not in particular. I would prefer to wake up."_

_"Do you not want to know why Frieza is so eager to get the Dragon Balls or how he knows about them in the first place?" Baba smirked when she saw Bulma's expression change. "I knew that would grab your attention."_

_"You told him about the Dragon Balls?"_

_Baba shrugged. "Not exactly. I simply set in motion a series of events that would prove to be beneficial to certain parties. Did Frieza ever tell you why you were chosen from your planet? Or why he destroyed the Saiyans?" When she got no real response other than an even glance, Baba continued. "A long time ago, I gave Frieza a bit of information about your people, the Saiyans, and the importance they would eventually play in his life. Because of this, he experienced an unknown feeling: fear. So he chose to be proactive about the situation. As one who also experiences precognition, you can see where the harm in this might come."_

_"Nothing is set in stone. Certain actions can either alter fate or hurry it along," Bulma intoned._

_"Exactly. Frieza's proactive behavior included the destruction of your home and that of the Saiyans. However, he underestimated the consequences of genocide in front of impressionable children who are cognizant enough to hold grudges. I have seen many people broken by Frieza but I am very impressed with the resistance you and the eldest Saiyan prince had against him."_

_"Why does Frieza want the Dragon Balls?" Bulma asked, wanting to hurry the conversation along._

_Baba gave her a toothy grin. "Not too long before you finally escaped his clutches, I showed him another glimpse of his future. It was... not where he wanted to head." The old woman chuckled at her own joke. "So again, he wanted to be proactive. It took some time, but he did find a way to try and deter his future from happening. That is the Dragon Balls."_

_"So you're the one who put immortality into his head. What could have possibly been so bad that a being who already fashions himself a god could want immortality to avoid?" the lavender-haired beauty asked. Baba motioned to her glass orb. Bulma looked into it and a scene began playing out in front of her. She took it all in, recognizing the landscape. It was similar to a few visions she had seen before. "So no matter what we do, he will attain immortality?"_

_"Who knows? Young Tarble did a remarkable job at diverting his ship. Frieza should get there only hours after you all have arrived. The balls will have recharged by the time you arrive."_

_"Why are you telling me all of this? You strike me as a person who is neither good nor evil; just on their own side."_

_Baba chuckled. "I suppose I am. I am not helping you. Your journey and destination are things only you have seen. I will tell you to pass this message along to the prince, though." She leaned forward dramatically. "He has to need it, not want it."_

_Bulma crossed her arms and looked away from Baba. "He needs nothing."_

_"Your stubbornness will not serve either of you well. Tell him that it doesn't matter how much he wants it. It only matters how much he needs it. These are words he needs to hear from you," Baba said sternly. Bulma said nothing in response. "I will be watching. It should be quite interesting seeing which outcome prevails. Now's a good time for you to wake up."_

* * *

Bulma's eyes opened and she sat up quickly. The small lamp in her cabin gave off very little light. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and yawned. She did not know the time but she was wide awake now. She might as well go find something to eat. She rose from her bed and headed towards the door. She did not notice the figure standing in the darkest part of the room.

Vegeta exhaled as Bulma left the cabin. He had been close to being caught. Even he had surprised himself with the speed he used to hide from her sight. It had been like this since their argument. Pushing her away had the opposite effect that he thought it would have. While she had adamantly avoided him, he used the fact that she could not sense his presence and spied on her. He thought it silly, but he could not help it.

Avoiding his children had been an exercise in futility. Neither Trunks nor Okura were having any of it. Trunks forced his way into Vegeta's training sessions. Vegeta could not stand to watch the boy's technique descend into madness so he had taken up training Trunks when he could. Okura usually went wherever Nappa went. Since Nappa spent most of his time watching over Vegeta, that is where she was. The child would talk his ear off whenever he took a break.

But Bulma kept her distance. On some level, he had expected her to put up more of a fight than she had. But after snooping on her conversation with Nappa, he realized why she did not. What he said had a much greater effect on her than he thought it would. Vegeta had not reached into the back of his mind to find the most hurtful thing he could say. But apparently his words had been cruel enough and the immense regret he felt haunted him daily.

The feeling of regret had only multiplied while they were stuck on the ship back to Namek. Being in such close quarters meant she could not go missing for days on end like she had back on Xerena. They crossed paths many times a day. Bulma never looked at him and never said anything even when his kin attempted to get them to talk. The tense air that surrounded them affected the others as well.

Vegeta reached out with his senses to see where Bulma had gone. From what he could tell, she was in the kitchen of the ship. That gave him ample time to leave the room and sneak back to his own. When he entered, he sighed. There were two children on his bed. The twins spent their time between parents. Vegeta walked over to his bed and looked down at them.

He found the way the slept most peculiar. Usually they would huddle close to each other in fetal positions. Trunks' tail would wrap itself around Okura's ankle and Okura kept her hand on his head. Vegeta could only guess that this was the position they were in while in the womb. He vaguely remembered Kinomi and Tarble acting similarly while they were still young. Vegeta took a seat across from them and let his mind wander on his plans.

* * *

Bulma stirred the leftover stew Chichi had made. She was not really hungry but it certainly would not do to starve herself. She was about halfway through her bowl when she heard footsteps. Looking towards the door, she saw that unmistakable head of hair before she saw anything else. She paused briefly as Vegeta walked into the kitchen. She immediately averted her eyes back to her bowl.

Vegeta frowned at her ignoring him again. He leaned against the doorway and watched her. The only sound was her spoon scraping against the bowl. Bulma eventually finished her food and washed her bowl out. Then she finally approached the doorway where Vegeta had not moved. Vegeta stared at her, silently willing her to look at him.

"Woman..."

"Get out of my way, Vegeta," Bulma said, her tone leaving no quarter for him. When he did not move, Bulma sighed. "Vegeta, please get out of my way," she repeated.

"I will not. Not until you let me say what I have to say," he countered. This drew the reaction he wanted.

Bulma finally looked Vegeta in the eye. "And why should I listen to anything you have to say? You don't want me in your life so we have  _nothing_  to talk about. Not a damn thing. Now get the fuck out of my way." When he still refused to move, Bulma sighed. "You know I can make you move if I wanted to, Vegeta."

"Then why haven't you?" he asked. Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Will you listen to me?"

"What? What is so important that you've finally broken your silence?"

"You are the one who has been avoiding me, woman."

"Don't try to turn this around on me! It was you who said I was a distraction. It was you who said you don't need me. I have done nothing but respect your wishes,  _your highness_." She pushed him hard in the chest to accentuate her last two words. Predictably, it did not affect Vegeta in the slightest and that only served to make Bulma angrier. "Get the hell out of my way!" she yelled.

"I will not until you listen."

Bulma took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "What? What do you want?"

Vegeta remained silent for a moment, carefully gathering his words. "I don't like this distance," he said.

Bulma scoffed. "And whose fault is that? This is what you asked for."

The prince chose to ignore her and continued on. "I heard you and Nappa talking that day." Just as he thought, that grabbed Bulma's attention. She looked like she was about to start yelling at him again but he continued on quickly. "I do lament the things I said to you. I was not thinking clearly. I was taking my frustration out on you and I should not have. It wasn't fair to you or the brats."

Bulma watched him. She was a bit stunned that he was actually trying to apologize to her. Well, it was not an apology. He was more or less just explaining his actions. That was probably as close to an apology as she was likely to get without pressuring him. As she went over his words in her head, she realized what he was really trying to say. "Vegeta, are you scared?" she whispered.

Vegeta looked at her as if she had said something highly offensive. "I'm not scared, woman. What a preposterous thing to assume," he answered. Before he could move out of her way, Bulma grabbed on to him. He watched her step forward and put a hand on his head. She lowered her hand a few seconds later. She rested her forehead on his.

"Pushing me away won't ease your... concerns, Vegeta," she said. "The only thing I love more than you are our  _brats_. I would sacrifice anything for them, just as I would you."

The prince sighed. "That's the problem, woman. You shouldn't have to." He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in the crevasse of her neck. He inhaled her familiar and soothing scent. He had missed it. "Is it too late to ask for forgiveness?"

Bulma chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "Asking for forgiveness is not the same thing as apologizing, Vegeta."

"Did I not acknowledge that I was wrong and that I regret the things I said?" His voice was low in her ear.

"Yes. But it still isn't an apology. One usually asks for forgiveness after the apology. You're doing it all wrong." Bulma wanted to relish being in his arms again, but she was still raw about his cutting words to her. "Vegeta..." She gave a weak attempt to push him away.

Vegeta stood up straight but did not release her. "You can tell what I feel, woman."

Bulma nodded. "You're right. I can. That doesn't mean that I don't want to hear you say it. If you heard my conversation with Nappa then you know how deeply your words cut. It was like a wound opening up in my chest. Every time I recalled what you said... That you didn't want or need me; that I was nothing but a distraction... It was painful, Vegeta. Even now your words echo in my head. You could say such hurtful things but you can't make amends verbally?"

Vegeta released her and stepped back a few feet. Bulma appeared confused by his actions. He was staring coolly at her, giving away nothing. Bulma shifted nervously under his gaze. She looked away from him and crossed her arms. The silence was beginning to get to her. She opened her mouth to say something but Vegeta beat her to it.

"I can't empathize with your  _heartbreak_ , woman. I don't know the feeling so I can't begin to fathom what it felt like. But, I didn't want to make you feel that way. I thought it was the only way, but I was wrong. I am sorry for hurting you so badly." As soon as the words were out, Vegeta saw Bulma look down at her feet. Her shoulders shook and he heard her sniff. Was she crying? Why would she cry? Did she not believe him? "Woman, did I..."

Bulma raised her head and gave him a teary grin. She moved forward and hugged him. Unsure of what to do, Vegeta just patted her head slowly. Bulma chuckled at his confusion. "I forgive you, Vegeta."


End file.
